Staff, CTBUH Journal Editor (2010-present) Communications Manager (2009-present)          Committee; Height, Member (2009-present) Advisory Committee (2007-2009) Conference, Session Chair (Mumbai, 2010) Conference, Speaker (Mumbai, 2010) Chicago, USA email: jklerks@ctbuh.org direct: +1 312 567 3286

Jan Klerks is the Communications Manager of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. In this position he is responsible for creating knowledge on tall buildings by initiating and conducting research, editing books about this topic and by writing articles and reviews. Mr. Klerks is the editor of the CTBUH Journal. Representing the Council, Mr Klerks is also a seasoned speaker at international conferences and an author in professional magazines and journals.

Mr. Klerks graduated from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where he obtained master degrees in economics and sociology. For his final thesis Mr. Klerks did research on high-rise living in Rotterdam. Before moving to Chicago, Mr. Klerks was self employed and commissioned to act as Executive Director of the Dutch Council on Tall Buildings, an active local sister organization to the CTBUH. In this position, he was responsible for organizing conferences, publishing newsletters, conducting study projects, supporting high-rise related activities and maintaining the professional network in the Netherlands. Regularly Klerks gives lectures or writes articles for an international professional, educational or a general audience or conducts high-rise related studies for third parties.

Mr Klerks also chairs the Rotterdam Skyscraper Foundation, a local nonprofit organization which published a book series on local skyscraper developments and organizes activities for the general public. In this position, he initiated and organized the Rotterdam Construction Site Festivals in between the years 2002 and 2007 and initiated and directed the first Rotterdam Skyscraper Festival in 2007, a public event which attracted 30,000 people.



His published books and research papers in the field of Tall Buildings include:

KLERKS, J. (2005). New Metropolitan Living and the Skycraper in a European City. Proceedings of CTBUH 7th World Congress, 16th-19th October 2005. New York, USA. Published by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Chicago.

KLERKS, J. (2009). Shaping the High-rise Framework. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Journal 2009, Issue III. Chicago, USA. pp. 34-37.


A selection of recent presentation on tall buildings include:

Tall Buildings and Sustainability, presentation for the Dutch Ministery of Housing and Planning, New York City, September 2009

International Tall Building Development, TowerTech, Doha, Qatar, October 2009 and October 2010

Tall Buildings and Sustainability, Global Climate Summit, Rotterdam, December 2009

Tall Buildings Planning Policies, CTBUH 2010 World Conference: Remaking Sustainable Cities in the Vertical Age, Mumbai, India Februari 2010

International Trends in Tall Buildings Development, Global Convention & Expo on Architecture, Chicago, April 2010 

Tall Building Development in a Historical Context, International Conference, Yekaterinburg, October 2010

Global Trends in Tall Buildings, Elexpo Trade Fair, Suzhou, China, March 2011