After completing the HTS architecture, Jan Verster (born 1924) continues his education at the VBO in Arnhem (diploma 1953), and later at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam (diploma 1956). During his training period in Arnhem, Verster worked as a student with H. Brouwer and J.J.M. Vegter. At Vegter's office - Vegter was state architect at the time - Verster collaborated on the design for the Arnhem provincial government building, among other things. Later, during his training period in Amsterdam between 1954 and 1956, Verster performed work for the bureau of ir. F.W. de Vlaming. After graduating from the Academy of Architecture in 1956, Verster engages in residential remodeling. He designs exemplary, almost academic 1950s interiors. Functional furnishings complete with finger plants and Miro sculptures in the bookcase. At the same time, Blaricum's beauty committee rejected one of his designs for a bungalow. Such a type of house was deemed "unacceptable on this property. In the same year a turning point takes place. In 1956, Verster is asked by ir. B. Merkelbach and ir. P.J. Elling to take over some of their private commissions. Merkelbach, who had worked for Koninklijke Zwavelfabriek Ketjen nv since 1946, is appointed city architect of Amsterdam in 1956 and for that reason has to give up assignments. Verster accepts the offer. And after acting as supervisor for some time, Merkelbach transfers part of his drawings archive to Verster along with his commissions. 'The rising economy from the 1950s onwards brought about an industrial explosion, particularly in the 1960s.' Hand in hand with the favorable economic situation and the growth of industry, non-residential construction also experiences a rather explosive growth from the beginning of the 1960s. Right on the eve of this development, Verster takes over Merckelbach's industrial assignments. Verster gets in over his head and establishes his own firm in association with ir. P.K.A. Pennink. The collaboration would last a year. Later, ir. Tj. Dijkstra (in 1958) and ir. J. Cannegieter (in 1960) are hired as associates. This would lead to the establishment of architect group Verster Dijkstra Cannegieter in 1965. Thus, from the early 1960s through the 1970s, the focus of Verster's work came to be industrial architecture. Verster became impressed by the baroque shapes of pipes and tanks. He developed specific ideas about the relationship between industry and architecture. Architecture is subjected by Verster to the demands of the production process "the equipment [is] very fascinating at a chemical company, (...) the architecture [cannot] remain subordinate enough. Later still, Verster states that his architecture should be seen as a "mere enveloping of equipment. Verster does, however, as in his 1950s interiors, continue to add color accents to his industrial structures. The production optimism of the 1960s influences the pace of construction: there is haste. This fast pace of construction did not always benefit the quality of design. Not only did construction have to take place at breakneck speed, the design itself had to exude a slick efficiency. The design had to take into account "the smooth and informal internal communication and the highly dynamic nature of the company. Thus, the architectural group fulfilled the "need for a new canteen where 100 men could have a bread lunch in a short time ...," by designing in the foreseeable future "a very spacious canteen with a fast-acting dispensing system. The response to the progress optimism of the 1960s did not stop there. Social movements emerged. The "sleeper age" announced itself. Architectural group Verster Dijkstra Cannegieter also proved to be sensitive to the wave of participation that emerged during these years. This can be recognized in the design process: 'The planning took place without 'expert' intermediaries but with a lot of contact between people (...), which made an optimal realization of requirements and wishes possible.' Another design opts for a more human scale in the architecture, characterized by elements 'with a small-scale character (...) and with the community room as a connecting element.' In 1980, Verster leaves for EGM architecten bv in Dordrecht. In the same year, Dijkstra becomes state architect. After the woolly 1970s, Verster turns to building in brick in the mid-1980s. His NCRV office in Hilversum occupies "an entirely unique place [within] recent brick architecture in our country. In the late 1980s, Verster rededicates himself to furnishing interiors in which he has left the cozy 1970s far behind. For a law firm in The Hague, he designs "a neat interior with occasional unconventional use of materials. In 1989, Jan Verster leaves the EGM firm, becomes a project architect and assumes various board positions.