a non-technical approach to circular economy in design & construction; no LCA cradle to grave, but materials close to matter, no material passport but identity, by BLIEBERG architects of a circular economy

1. HANS VAN DER LAAN
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
IN MAI ‘68
www.blieberg.eu
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image: Jason John Paul Haskins

2. www.blieberg.eu
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The circle the monk-architect
Hans van der Laan believed in,
was the circle of eternal life; it
would be disrepectful to impute
his work any other “circular”
ambitions posthumously.
One can though not overlook that
he avoided every ornament or
redundant material, as a skilled
ascetic.

3. www.blieberg.eu
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In mai ‘68, when elsewhere a
world sprouted abundantly, a
place for reflection was
sanctified in Vaals: the abbey
Sint-Benediktusberg, a master-
piece of Hans van der Laan.
His proportional system (“the
plastic number”) and his vision
on scale and spaces (“the
architectonic space”) are his well
known design methods.

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His attitude towards material and
matter is not less intriguing.
Dom Hans van der Laan worked
with a palette of a handful of
materials, letting them talk in
peace and quiet.
The “brutalistic” character of the
materials is fascinating: as if they
are barely processed; and the
way of assembling is not veiled
(nor emphasised) (*).

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The inner and outer walls and the
columns are in brick masonry,
abundantly laid in mortar,
limewashed with-out pointing.
Concrete beams , poured in rough
formwork timber.
Ceilings in rough cut lumber with
open joints, visibly nailed.
The courtyard in cobblestones.
Floors in concrete, polished, but
not in the crypt: here it is poured
without any additional treatment.

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The church benches, the choir
stall, the few furniture is made
of identical wooden planks,
nailed together in a visible way.
Only the Most Holy has a
refined character and is made of
polished bluestone: the altar,
the cross, the memorial wall.

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Elsewhere, there is place for
imperfection; and the visible
assembly of materials suggests a
temporary use.
Are these religous metaphores ?

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What intrigues me most, is the
number of materials: not even 10.
Is this typical for contemporary
sacral buildings ? Or could such a
“dematerialisation” be a general
principle to use building materials
in a more sustainable way ?

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Could his work be a non-technical
guide to an “ecological architecture”
or even to a “circular economy”? (**)
No LCA from cradle to grave, but
material close to matter,
No “disassembly-index”, but
visibly assembled materials,
No “material passport”, but identity.
.

10. www.blieberg.eu
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Epilogue:
“cradle to cradle” is like
believing in life after
death: materials return
to ashes and dust to be
reborn.
“circularity” is like
believing in an eternal
life: materials are given
a second life.

11. www.blieberg.eu
kris@blieberg.eu
image credits
1. Jason John Paul Haskins.
2. Frans de la Cousine
3. Fas Keuzenkamp
(*) Coen van der Heiden (“Stichting van der Laan”) gives more
insight and nuance: “The abbeys of Vaals and Waasmunster
were originally no “naked” buildings; together with the artist
Wim van Hooff, Dom Hans van der Laan used a very delicate
palette of colors and hues. Unfortunately, this palette is not
always intact anymore. In an abbey, architecture remains on
the backstage in the play of liturgy. Colors and forms cannot
overrule the total expression”.
(**) see “Non-technical approach to the challenges of
ecological architecture: Learning from Van der Laan“ by
Madrilenian engineers González-Díaz & García- Navarro.
(***) see “The poetics of order: Dom Hans van der Laan’s
architectic space” by architect-theoreticus Caroline Voet (KUL):
“the use of simple material finishing enhances the sensorial
qualities of the materials, rendering the space extremely
tangible. The focus moves from the building material to
matter. This is enhances by the light” …. “Because of the
rough finishing of the spaces, the light plays with the effect of
the subtle topography of the surfaces, bringing the
architecture to life”.
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