Born in Prague in 1930, Kliment came to the United States in 1950. He earned a bachelor’s degree from MIT in 1953 and a master’s degree from Princeton in 1957 — both in architecture.
Kliment alternated between practicing architecture and covering it. He was editor of Architectural and Engineering News from 1961 to 1969, and then was a partner in Caudill Rowlett Scott into 1972. At John Wiley & Sons, he was founding editor of the Building Type Basics series.
In the midst of a building slump, Kliment became editor-in-chief of Architectural Record in 1990 and guided it into 1996. Facing the paucity of big projects by well-known firms, Kliment and his staff wrote of up-and-coming architects. He also began a column on the use of computers in architecture.
Since 2002, he had been editorial director of Oculus, the journal of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Kliment was viewed as being more interested in social justice and practicality in architecture than in cutting-edge design.
He is survived by his wife, Felicia; two daughters; and two grandchildren.