He studied architecture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and began his career working for a furniture company. In the 1950s, Van Der Meeren founded his own company, Tubax, which produced furniture for educational establishments, offices and hospitals.
Van Der Meeren was known for his functionalist approach to design, with particular attention paid to ergonomics and the use of affordable materials. He is most famous for his "301" chair, a folded metal chair model that was mass-produced and used in many public buildings in Belgium.
During his career, Van Der Meeren also worked on social housing and modular construction projects. He was a member of the De Coene design group in Kortrijk and taught industrial design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. His work has been shown in numerous museums and design exhibitions, including MoMA in New York.