Kees Bruynzeel
Encyclopedia
Cornelis Bruynzeel (February 19, 1900, Rotterdam
– 1980) was a Dutch
businessman, timber
merchant
and yachtsman.
, and took several trips to the United States and Sweden to study progress in automatization and wood manufacturing. In 1920 he became manager of the family's new door factory in Zaandam
. In 1922 he married Titia Verkade, daughter of the industrialist Ericus Gerhardus Verkade
.
Bruynzeel Jr. was an avid sailor. He won the Fastnet race
for Holland in 1937 with his Stephens-designed
yawl
Zeearend ("sea eagle", the eagle being the logo of the Bruynzeel company). The Dutch designer Piet Zwart
worked closely with Bruynzeel's father and his brother Willem (he designed their first kitchens) and was involved with the design of the Zeearend as well.
was causing a decline in the building industry, he considered alternatives and pioneered the development of new timber materials for the production of the Bruynzeel kitchen and for boat construction. Using a newly-developed water-resistant synthetic resin glue, Bruynzeel developed a durable three-ply wood, similar to plywood
, for the fabrication of external doors. Bruynzeel went on to extend the concept of the modular kitchen and with E.G. van de Stadt
developed the first industrialised boat construction system in the world .
Today Bruynzeel Multipanel Int. B.V., as it was later renamed, is a leading timber company that specialises in marine
and construction
timber, with distribution throughout Europe
, North America
and the Caribbean
, amongst others.
, where he owned and operated a company Bruply Doors, including a factory at Stellenbosch. Bruynzeel's South African timber operations now comprise PG Bison and are controlled by Steinhoff Africa
In 1962, Bruynzeel built a house in Stellenbosch, that was controversial considering the conservative architecture of the time. The roof of the house is shaped like a hyperbolic paraboloid, and is constructed using teak
rafter
s and lined with yellowwood
. It was design
ed by architect
Aardt Bijl.
race with the boat Stormvogel ("Stormbird" or the Shearwater
), after coming in a close second in 1965. In 1973, aged 72, Bruynzeel took both line and overall handicap honours in the Cape to Rio Yacht Race in his boat Stormy; his progress was followed with keen interest, since he had suffered three heart attack
s in the previous year.
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
– 1980) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
businessman, timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
and yachtsman.
Early years
Bruynzeel was the son of Cornelis Bruynzeel Sr., who founded a timber factory in 1897, and Antoinette Lels. He studied in The HagueThe Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, and took several trips to the United States and Sweden to study progress in automatization and wood manufacturing. In 1920 he became manager of the family's new door factory in Zaandam
Zaandam
Zaandam is a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811...
. In 1922 he married Titia Verkade, daughter of the industrialist Ericus Gerhardus Verkade
Ericus Verkade
Ericus Gerhardus Verkade was the founder in 1886 of the Verkade manufacturing company of the Netherlands.Verkade was born in Vlaardingen. He was named after his father, the notary Ericus Gerhardus Verkade Sr , who died one month before he was born...
.
Bruynzeel Jr. was an avid sailor. He won the Fastnet race
Fastnet race
The Fastnet Race is a famous offshore yachting race. It is considered one of the classic offshore races. It takes place every two years over a course of . The race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland and then finishes at...
for Holland in 1937 with his Stephens-designed
Sparkman & Stephens
Sparkman & Stephens is a naval architecture and yacht brokerage firm with main offices on 5th Avenue in New York City, USA and offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Newport, Rhode Island, USA. The firm performs design and engineering of new vessels for pleasure, commercial, and military use....
yawl
Yawl
A yawl is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an additional mast located well aft of the main mast, often right on the transom, specifically aft of the rudder post. A yawl (from Dutch Jol) is a two-masted sailing craft similar to a sloop or cutter but with an...
Zeearend ("sea eagle", the eagle being the logo of the Bruynzeel company). The Dutch designer Piet Zwart
Piet Zwart
Piet Zwart was a Dutch photographer, typographer, and industrial designer.- Examples of His Artwork :He started his career as an architect and worked for Jan Wils and Berlage....
worked closely with Bruynzeel's father and his brother Willem (he designed their first kitchens) and was involved with the design of the Zeearend as well.
Industry Pioneer
In 1939, when the production had expanded to include floors and kitchens and the threat of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was causing a decline in the building industry, he considered alternatives and pioneered the development of new timber materials for the production of the Bruynzeel kitchen and for boat construction. Using a newly-developed water-resistant synthetic resin glue, Bruynzeel developed a durable three-ply wood, similar to plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
, for the fabrication of external doors. Bruynzeel went on to extend the concept of the modular kitchen and with E.G. van de Stadt
E.G. van de Stadt
Ericus Gerhardus van de Stadt was a Dutch yacht designer. He was the founder of industrial yacht building in the Netherlands....
developed the first industrialised boat construction system in the world .
Today Bruynzeel Multipanel Int. B.V., as it was later renamed, is a leading timber company that specialises in marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
and construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
timber, with distribution throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, amongst others.
South Africa
In 1956 Kees Bruynzeel Jr. moved to South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where he owned and operated a company Bruply Doors, including a factory at Stellenbosch. Bruynzeel's South African timber operations now comprise PG Bison and are controlled by Steinhoff Africa
In 1962, Bruynzeel built a house in Stellenbosch, that was controversial considering the conservative architecture of the time. The roof of the house is shaped like a hyperbolic paraboloid, and is constructed using teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
rafter
Rafter
A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members , that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated loads.-Design:...
s and lined with yellowwood
Yellowwood
Yellowwood may refer to:* Cladrastis spp., a genus of trees in the family Fabaceae* Flindersia xanthoxyla, Yellowwood; a tall rainforest tree from Australia in the Rutaceae family* Osage-orange , a fruit in the family Moraceae...
. It was design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
ed by architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Aardt Bijl.
sailing
Bruynzeel continued sailing. In 1967 he won the Los Angeles-to-Hawaii TranspacTranspacific Yacht Race
The Transpacific Yacht Race is an offshore yacht race starting off Point Fermin, San Pedro, near Los Angeles, and ending off Diamond Head Lighthouse in Honolulu, a distance of around . Started in 1906, it is one of yachting's premier offshore races and attracts entrants from all over the world...
race with the boat Stormvogel ("Stormbird" or the Shearwater
Procellariidae
The family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes , which also includes the albatrosses, the storm-petrels, and the diving petrels.The procellariids are...
), after coming in a close second in 1965. In 1973, aged 72, Bruynzeel took both line and overall handicap honours in the Cape to Rio Yacht Race in his boat Stormy; his progress was followed with keen interest, since he had suffered three heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
s in the previous year.
