The birthplace of Jan Piet Kloos was Schiedam. He pursued studies in civil engineering at MTS in Utrecht, later continuing his education in Amsterdam during evening hours. At his day job, he worked under the direction of architect G.J. Langhout. Around 1927, he was involved with the construction of the Zonnestraal sanatorium in Hilversum; a Modernist masterpiece by Jan Duiker, where he served as an overseer and draftsman. Kloos himself also embraced the principles of functionalism.
In 1932, he established his own architectural firm. During this time, he occasionally collaborated with colleague Holt. Especially after the war, Kloos received numerous commissions for schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and residential buildings. One of his noteworthy projects in Amsterdam was the Kabouterhuis (1952) on Amsteldijk, a daycare center for young children.
He combined the functionalist approach of the Nieuwe Bouwen movement with mass-production techniques, yet managed to avoid creating monotonous structures. In literature, his housing project on Dijkgraafplein in Amsterdam, featuring suspension bridges, is often cited as an example of this.
www.ftn-books.com has the most important book on Kloos now available.
