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THE TOOLS OF THE CRAFT
Dom Hans van der Laan and the plastic number
Tiziana Proiefti
Università di Roma 'La Sapienza", Dipartimento diArchitettura

Abstract
The theory of proportion has been the bond that holds together architecture and mathematics since
ancient times, characterized by following phases of negation, reappropriation and revision. lts goal
was to make up a sort of "toolbox" of the architect craft, which was able of bringing architecture to a
complete organic structure.
From the near occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Ninth Triennial of Milan (1951), litled De Divina
Proportione [1], and from the observation of a following gradual loss of attention on the theme, the
present study aims to deal with the topic in order to leave some questions about proportion open.
The figure and the research of the Benedectine monk and Dutch architect Dom Hans van der Laan
(1904 Leiden-1 991 Vaals) serves as a good starting point for pondering the topic. ln fact, Van der Laan
devoted his work entirely to searching for a proportional system. He used proportion as an instrument
for guiding the architect during the design in order not to lose the close relationship of man with his
body, his intellect, and nature. With the discovery of the plastic number Van der Laan developed a
compelling theory of propoilon that owes much to earlier theories but goes far beyond them as well.

Key words
order, proportion, Hans van der Laan, plastic number, morphotheek

1. lntroduction

The general problem of the dimensioning of architecture, and more specifically the theme of
proportion, has been one of the central challenges of design since ancient times. What connects the
various changing moments of this theme is the search for a rational system that might connect the
parts of a building with each other to form a coherent whole. Such a system would rely on an internal
logic based on how human beings perceive and experience world. Hans van der Laan's buildings and
his theory of the plastic number bring us back to the origin of architecture. By helping us return to the
origin, Van der Laan roots architecture in our objective experience rather than in a speculative theory.
As a result, van der Laan is decidedly relevant for contemporary architects.
1. Firstly, Dom Hans van der Laan proposes a new idea of proportion which is based no longer on
natural rules applied to architecture, but rather on human perception of natural spqce. ln fact, it is
a proportional system imposed upon nature rather then extracted from it [11] as many theories of
propoilion, including that of Le Corbusierl.
2. Secondly, Van der Laan's proportional system goes beyond the exploration of regulating lines in
a building and their organization into geometric forms. Van der Laan doesn't focus his attention on
how the regulating lines merely connect parts of a facade in order to solve some kind of mystery;
rather, he creates architectonic space out of the relationship between mass and void. He establishes
a relationship between wall size and the spaces that emerge between walls. ln so doing he applies
1 lndeed, lhe Modulor comes from the observation of the rich system of proportions of the human body, a prod-
uct of the nature. Consequently, it is a proportional system not so distant from the Classical and Renaissance
concept of proportion.
i The plastic numb€r is a pro-
lrr., ortional sysiem based on
, human perception imposed
6 s* ;ltt'
upon nalure and not extract-
ed rrom it.

n
.ri
r:iìì" lt doÉsn't aim tÒ explorè reg-
r,llating iìnes of buildings. lt
goes over the twÒ-dimension
::.lof proportion-

'Van der Laan's prclportional

Three kind of space:

s
*heory aims to dealwith every
otthe architecturat rt..ììì:r,
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pÒrtional §yst§m culminating . iri ii ,.iil
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ii'r The plastic numbèr embod- Three states of the linear

lies the human perception of
different sizesì it obviates lhè
,:necessity for {nal optical cor-
extension based on the
hurnan perception:
Margin, Type o{ size, order of ,a#ijÈ;i,e$q
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36 forms ol the plastic «l can only speak of al
number: "space" within myself in I
10 block§. 10 $labs, 10 bar§ lerms of the internal wodd Òf:
and 6 blank fùrms my thoughts: as an "inner:
space" into which I can with-:
draw at wlll- However, thisi
ii'y'i inner space owes its name to:
,"1 ^:',' the functional effBc-t of thel
E '.:-'1'.,.i:"t".,, walls, which give rise to a 1

ì'ì;*li+#i+, rèal inside with respect to ai

n real outside. (...) There is no i

ffin ilffi il questìon, here, of an identifi- |

cation between the terms ofl
the two spalial images. (...) I :
compare my inner world with:
the inside belween walls only:
120 §lements 0f the Mor- beeause in both cases it is a:
photheek: matter of an jnside-outside:
ti0 hlocks, !ù
sìahs, 20 ì:ars ard relation (.-.): the inside within:
?0 hlsnk forms myselt slands to the out§ide:
around me, as the inside of
the house stands to the nalu-
ral space outside it, ;
proportion not merely to two dimensions but to three and perhaps even four.
3. Thirdly, the theory of the plastic number and the creation of a morphotheek (form bank) aims to
deal with every scale of the architectural project through the same proportional system that links
every level of the design, culminating in urban space2.
4. Finally, the use of proportion in architecture through the ages has ofien led to optical corrections,
which seem to negate the validity of the proportional tool3. The plastic number, however, embodies
the human perception of different sizes: it obviates the necessi§ for final optical corrections.
Summing up, according to Van der Laan the essence of architecture lies in its proportions; everything
else is secondary. The essence of architecture did not lie in its symbolism, typology or functionali§,
but in the tripartite way man experiences a building: the physical experience, the sensory perception
of form and the intellectual cognition of size. The application of the 'fundamental proportion", based
on our experience, enable us to create architectonic space.

2. The research

«l can only speak of a "space" within myself in terms of the intemal world of my thoughts: as an
"inner space" into which I can withdraw at will. However, this inner space owes its name to the
functional effect of the walls, which give rise to a real inside with respect to a real outside. (...) There
is no question, here, of an identification between the terms of the two spatial images. (...) There is
a conespondence between the terms of these images, but they refer to two totally different worlds.
(. ..) I compare my inner world with the inside between walls only because in both cases it is a matter
of an inside-outside relation (...): the inside within myself stands to the outside around me, as the
inside of the house stands to the natural space outside iba [10].
\A/ith these words, Dom Hans van der Laan introduced the essence of architecture: differentiating
inside and outside by the placement of two parallel walls between which the architectonic space rises.
The latter moves from a delimitation within the infinite natural space and, already at the beginning
of the process, it shows a clear proportional relationship which links the experiential space of the
human being with the space around him.
lnside the mass of two simple walls and thanks to their enclosure, the interior space acquires a form
for its own. The ratio between walls and space is ruled by a "mutual neighbourhood" or nearness
of proximi§ based on the theory of the plastic number. When two masses, with their thickness, are
in relation to their distance, they stand in each other's neighbourhood. They make up a perceptible
space thanks their proximi§. Consequently the architectonic space is described by three kind
of measure: the proportion of the mutual neighbourhood, the length and the height of the walls.
According to Van der Laan, the plastic number is the proportional system which rule the ratios of
these parts creating an organic whole [7].
During his monastic life, after his decision to leave the faculty of architecture in order to become
a monk, Hans van der Laan continued to follow his interest in architecture. He experimented with
pebbles of difierent sizes and with regular geometric elements. The result was the plastic number,
which relates different sizes of materials or space to each other. The theory of the plastic number,
introduced in his main book Architectonische Ruimte (1577), is based on the perception of object
sizes by the human eye and consists of a progression that uses both mathematical and geometric
proportional systems.
2 Oppositely, looking back, often it's possible to see a change of proportional system because of the impossi-
bili§ to solve the design of the city with the same one, how the same Le Corbusier attests us with his theory
ofthe "seven roads".
3 Also Leon Battista Alberti, who seemed to negate the role of optical conections with his concept of concin-
nitas, in St Andrew in Mantua proposed a liftle correction on the central big arch in the main facade.
Analyzing the different sizes of pebbles and trying to group them together according to their dimension
and the abili§ of the human eye to distinguish their size, he made up groups composed by elements
which our eye recognizes as the same size. As a result, he developed three states through which the
linear extension reveals itself to our intellect. These states are constituted by: margin (within which
we consider the things of the same size), type of size (the image thatwe have of the same dimension
and that we recognize in every element of a margin) and order of size (the group of all types of
size that can be related with each other), ln this way everything corresponds and the parts all fit
together to produce a harmonic whole. Therefore, the function of the house is completely realized
only when the entire architectonic space, from the cell to the domains, comes under the influence
of the architectural form of the mass and when the set of the shape and space is subiected to the
architectonic order of quantity.
The quantity is of two kinds: discrete (counting) and continuous (measuring). The entire quantitative
order of the building is founded on our first knowledge of the continuous quantity, or better on the
margin within which we recognize every element of the same size. This order works to create a
harmony among all measures. lt makes the architecture susceptible of an intellectual expression.
According to Van der Laan the encounter between the discrete and continuous quantity is achieved
by applying the theory of the plastic number. For this reason he introduces it as the "fundamental
proportion'[6].
He dedicated his research entirely to developing this proportional system, which led to the creation
of a form-bank (constituted by thirty-six forms) and a morphotheek within which all the elements are
related to each other through the plastic number. lndeed, the eight measures of the plastic number
progression build up thir§-six figures from which it's possible to obtain one hundred twenty forms
(sixty blocks, twenty slabs, twenty bars and twenty blank forms6). These make up a morphotheek,
which the architect can use in designing habitable and intelligible architectonic space. Conseguently,
architecture must be added to natural space in order to make it habitable (delimited in relation to our
bodies), visible to our senses and measurable for our intellect.
Van der Laan applied this "toolborf to few but significant buildings and popularized his teaching
in the Cursus Kerkelijke Architectuuf , creating a real school of thought carried on by some of his
adepts in the Bossche School. His most important work is the extension of the Abbey in Vaals (1 956-
86) where for the first time he applied the theory of the plastic number. The whole volume of the
upper church, including the roof, is contained in the central blank form of the form-bank. A blank form
unites the properties of the other groups (blocks, bars and slabs).
Thereby, Hans van der Laan offers a complete'toolbox'for guiding us in how measurements relate
to each other in the continuous sizes of nature, assigning to architecture the role to reconcile the
existing dyad between natural and experiential space through an architectonic space that is at the
same time habitable and intelligible.

Dom Hans van der Laan in his De architectonische ruitme (1977), explains the nature of the human habitat
through three kind of space related to the necessity of the experiential space of the man and the relation that
he created between the inside and the outside. These are: the cell (the working space, where the man stands
and operates), the courtyard (the traffic space, where the man walks) and the domain (the viewing space, or
visual field beyond which man cannot bear the sight).
r, According to van der Laan's theory, block, bar and slab constitute the three states of the mass, which come
from the three states of the form: sphere, cylinder and disc,
7 Dom Hans va der Laan gave lessons in the Course of Ecclesiastical Architec{ure directed by Nico van der
Laan at Den Bosch between 1946 and 1973.
3. Conclusion

Van der Laan's discoveries lead us to question much of contemporary design. He teaches us that
proportion isn't a simple recipe or a way to solve and approach some kind of mystery; but instead it
is something much more important. The goal of design is not to find the correct system of proportion
but rather to express the life inside it, building up spaces which are able to answer simultaneously
to our mind, sensory observation and physical experience. The tool of proportion is the fundamental
key to put together these three states of our experiential space because we can have knowledge of
the natural space around us only with measure and consequently numbers. Composition of related
forms is informed by a system of proportion: how one shape can relate to another. This goal stood at
the center of the old way of seeing and thinking about architecture. Hans van der Laan's research,
starting from the first pdnciple of architecture, offers us a concrete "toolbox" which transmits to us a
concept of architecture founded on measurable limits in order to solve the intrinsic conflict with the
surrounding natural space.

REFERENCES

t1l CIMOLI A. and IRACE F., La Divina propozione,2007, Mondadori, Electa

l2l FERLENGAA.,VERDE P.,Dom HansVanderLaan. Leopereegliscnffi(2000), Mondadori,
Milano
t3] HOLTMANN H., The Wtllibrordkerk Almelo. The legagy of Dom Hans van der Laan, Jan de
Jong and Thèodore Strawinsky (2004), published by Woningstichting Sint Joseph Almelo
in conjuction with the Town CouncilAlmelo, Den Haag
t4l JONATHAN H., The old way of seeing. How architecture lost its magic (and how to get it
back) (1994), Richard Todd Book, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston-New York
15] KOSTER E., Dom Hans van der Laan arcadian architecture, in ANQ (oumal), architectura
& natura quarterly, 199211,p.3248
t61 LAAN H. VAN DER., Het Plastische Getal(1967), english translation by Padovan R., Ihe
plastic numbe[ E.J. Brill, Leiden, 1983
l7l LAAN H. VAN DER., Architectonische Ruimte, vijftien lessen over de dispositive van het
menselijkverblijf (1977), english translation by Padovan R., Ihe architectonic space, E.J.
Brill, Leiden, 1983
t8l LAAN H. VAN DER., Het vormenspel der liturgie (1985), english translation by PADOVAN
R., The play of forms: nature, culture and liturgy, E.J. Brill, Hardcover, 2005
191 LINMASORO J.1., Ofras Vias. Pikionis, Lewerentz y Van der Laan (2O'11), Nobuko,
Argentina
[10] PADOVAN R., Dom Hans Van der Laan. Modem primitive (1994), Architectura & Natura,
Rotterdam
[11] PADOVAN R, Proportion Science Philosophy Architecture (1999), Spon Press, London
1121 PADOVAN R. Dom Hans van der Laan and the necessify of limits (1989), Stichiting
Manutius, Maastricht
[13] REMERY M.P., Mystery and mafter on the relationship between liturgy and architecture in
thethoughtofDom HansVan derLaan (2011), BRN, Leiden
[14] SCHOLFIELD P.H., The theory of proportion in architecture (1958), Cambridge University,
Cambridgeure DIAP
 Michela Rossi (editorf
ilexus Ph,D, Day. Relationships hetween
Architecture and Mathematics
fhe D{ edition of ùe lnteinational Conference No<us-Relationships betneen lrrchiteaure and Mathematics at
I Politecnico di Milano, sponsored by Depanment of Industrial Design and Department of Maùematics compris-
es a worlahop dedicated to Ph.D. students.
The event is sponsored by ùe Politecnico Ph.D. School and the Design Ph.D. program of Depanment INDA-
.Sciena
CO and by ùe National (lulian) Ph.D, School in of Represen tation and fuchitectural Survey'.
The "Nexus Ph.D. Day' is meant to be an international and multi-disciplinuy meeting benueen Ph.D. students
invoh,ed in scientific reseuches in the ffelds ùat are conneced to the topic of the Gnferene. It intends to promote
didactic and reseuch «changes trou$ interactions betneen vuious schools fiom different countries.
Thiswillgive the opportunityto Ph.D. students andpung Ph,D. fdlow, who hara di fensed their ùCIis in 2010
or lateg to show their work to a luge international academic community, by the oral presentation ofselected lecture
and a poster sesion related to the conference one, to impmve a meeting among people working on similu isues,
generally concerning the relationships benpeen Ardritecture and Mathematics in all ùe different scales ofdesign.
The papers tlnt are presented in ùe Ph.D. Day and those only published in ùe printed proaedings weie selecr-
ed with double blind review from anonimous revisers.

Gnwalnpia:
- Theory and analpis ofdesign in uchitecture, landscape and anefacts
- Designgrammars,morphology, parameuicaltransformation
- Complor shapes and structures in uchitecture and industrial design
- Harmony and ardritecture (music and proportion$
- The digiml 'lecure': a syntesis ofhistory sciena and uchiretcture

- The di$al model: innovative methodsofsurveyand repraentation

- Real-world data shape representation: from mathematics to visualization

Scinrtlw conninec:
Marco Gaiani (Università di Bologna, haly)
Grnelie Lmpld (TU IGiseÌslautern, Germany - Department of luchiteaure)
Italy- Deputment of Mathematics)
Edie Miglio (Politecnico di Milan,
Branko Mitovié (UNITEC Institute of Tecnology - Auckland - Neu, Zealand)
Francesco Tabucco (Politecnico di Milano, Ialy - Depenement INDACO)

Joio Pedro )ruvier (Faculude de Arquitectura da Universidade do Pono - Portugal)

Maria Zack (Point l-oma Naarene University- San Diego - USA)

Drarlor Michela Rosi (Politanico di Milano, Italy- Depertment INDACO)

Secr*ary: GiuseppeAmoruso (Politecnico di Milano, Italy- Depertment INDACO)

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INDACO

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