Gerhard BruynsAssociate Professor, BA (Environment & Interior Design) Discipline Leader, PhD Programme Convener
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Dr. ir. Gerhard Bruyns is an architect and urbanist. He is AssociateProfessor of Environment and Interior Design, School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. His roles include Discipline Leader E&I and Convener of thePhD Programme.
Previously Dr Bruyns held tenure as a faculty member of the Delft School of Design, Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology [TU Delft], the Netherlands. He has previously worked in practice in South Africa before joining the Urban Renewal and Management Chair of the TU Delft’s Department of Urbanism. In 2008 he was invited to join the Delft School of Design [TU Delft], an advanced research unit focused on combining critical theory, philosophy and design [architecture and urbanism] into a coherent MSc and PhD design program. Here Dr Bruyns’ role was to act as both a design mentor and MSc coordinator.
Dr Bruyns has lectured at a number of universities globally, and acted as invited jury member to architecture schools in South Africa, Asia, South America, the US and Europe. In 2007 he coordinated, under chairmanship of Professors A.D. Graafland and I.B. Low, the Urban Development Stall of the African Perspectives Africains, which formed the core backdrop to his most recent publication and editorial work addressing urbanization within Africa [2012]. Presently he is Executive Team member of the IFOU, Scientific Board Member of the African Centre for Studies in Leiden [The Netherlands], editor of the Footprint Journal, issue # 16 [TU Delft], Assistant to the General Reporter for the UIA 2014 - World Congress on Architecture [Architecture Otherwhere] and Registrar of the UIA 2014 International Student Competition. Bruyns' present professional design and practice work is done in associationwith CP, Arquitectura, Urbanismo, Investigacion.
Website: www.morpho.work
Cubic Journal: http://www.cubicjournal.org/wp/
Peer Reviewed Journals
Bruyns, G.,Higgins, C. D. & Nel, D. H.. (2020). Urban Volumetrics: From Vertical to Volumetric Urbanisation and its Extensions to Empirical Morphological Analysis. In Urban Studies.DOI:10.1177/6970
Bruyns, G.& Nel, D. (2020). ‘Lateral-privatisation of the Publics: Hong Kong’s Spatial Struggles’.In : Urban Design International. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41289-020-00127-5
Bruyns, GJB.(2018).Tactical interiority; Hong Kong’s “lived” interiors as praxis for tactical living in High-Density landscapes,Interiors,9:3,346-371,DOI:10.1080/20419112.2019.1642571
Elkin, D.,Bruyns, GJB., Hasdell, P. (2018). ‘Former Factories of the World: Labour, Knowledge, and Physical Capitals in Hong Kong’. In: arq: Architectural Research Quarterly. Cambridge University Press.DOI:https://doi.org/10.1017/S1359135518000507
Bruyns, GJB. (2018). ‘The Social and the Spatial, Urban Models as Morphologies for a ‘Lived’ Approach to Planning’. In:Cubic Journal; Design Social | Technology, Activism, Anti-Social, Bruyns GJB, and Hasdell, P. (eds) number 1 volume 1, pp. 52–73. DOI:https://doi.org/10.31182/cubic.2018.1.003
Hasdell, P., &Bruyns, GJB. (2018). ‘Introduction to Design Social | Technology, Activism, Anti-Social’. InCubic Journal; Design Social | Technology, Activism, Anti-Social, Bruyns G, and Hasdell, P. (eds). number 1 volume 1, pp. 52–73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31182/cubic.2018.1.003
Bruyns, GJB.,& Hasdell, P. (2017). ‘Aquatic Urbanity: Water as Planning and Territorial Instrument Considering the 9 Dash Line Policy’. In:Upland–Journal of Urban Planning, Landscape & Environmental Design,1(1). ISSN 2531-9906, 2(2). Retrieved from http://www.upland.it/index.php/UPLanD/index.http://www.serena.unina.it/index.php/upland/article/view/5420/6059
Bruyns, GJB., Elkin, D., & Hasdell, P. (2017). ‘Erasing Landscapes’. In:Urban Next, Journal #4, Photographic Atlas of Cities. ISSN 2575-5374. DOI: https://urbannext.net/erasing-landscapes/.
Sohn, H., Kousoulas, S.,Bruyns, GJB. (2015). ‘Commoning as Differentiated Publicness’ In: Commoning as Differentiated Publicness: emerging concepts of the urban and other material realities, InFootprint Delft Architecture Theory Journal, Volume 16, Delft, Techne Press, pp 1-8.DOI: https://doi.org/10.7480/footprint.9.1
Contributions to Periodicals
Bruyns, GJB., Hasdell, P., Sepulveda-Carmona, D. (2020). ‘GameBoarding Regional Development’, In Archdaily, February 2020. Online: https://www.archdaily.com/934165/game-boarding-regional-development.
Recent Peer Reviewed Conference Papers
Navarro, L.,Bruyns GJB.(2018). On Why We Can Not Envision A Tesseract: ‘Unfolding’ The Interior Once More (Reflections on Three Representational Techniques for the Design of the Interior).ADR18, Annual Design Research Conference.The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. ISBN 978-0-646-99249-5.
Bruyns, GJB.,Nel D., Higgins CD. (2018). ‘Flat City versus Volumetric City, Re-application of the Layered Movement Network Approach’. International Seminar on Urban Form,ХХV International Seminar on Urban Form 2018 Urban Form and Social Context: from traditions to newest demands. Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia. SBN: 978-5-7638-3952-4
Higgins, CD., Nel, D.,Bruyns, GJB.(2018). ‘Slope, Layers and Walkability: Estimating the Link Between Pedestrian Accessibility and Land Values in the Morphology of High-Density Cities’. International Seminar on Urban Form,ХХV International Seminar on Urban Form 2018 Urban Form and Social Context: from traditions to newest demands. Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia. SBN: 978-5-7638-3952-4
Nel D.,Bruyns GJB., Higgins CD. (2018). ‘Urban Design, Connectivity and its Role in Building Spatial Resilience’. International Seminar on Urban Form,ХХV International Seminar on Urban Form 2018 Urban Form and Social Context: from traditions to newest demands.Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia. SBN: 978-5-7638-3952-4
Bruyns, GJB.,[2017]. ‘Hong Kong’ Entrepreneurialism; Radical Domesticity as a Condition of Interiorized Commons’. International Forum on Urbanism, Entrepreneurial City, 2017. Hong Kong. pp.251–260.
Bruyns, GJB., Elkin, D. (2017) ‘Interior Tactics: Hong Kong's Square Foot Society and its Social Mobility Challenge’.Transforming Urbanity: People and Cities on the Move, Sun Complex, Kuala Lumpur. Hong Kong: 4C5M Studio, 2017.
Bruyns, GJB.(2016). ‘Model and the Lived, Beyond the 60m2 mean. An Investigation into Hong Kong’s Domestic Models and its square foot societies’.From Contested_Cities to global urban justice -critical dialogues, Madrid, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain. ISSN 2341 - 2755
Bruyns, GJB., Landman, K., Nel, D., & Du Plessis, C. (2016). ‘Morphology of the gated: questions of territorial fragmentations in low and high-density landscapes - a comparison between Hong Kong and Tshwane (Pretoria)’.TheTwenty Third International Seminar on UrbanForm. Nanjing University, Nanjing, China. ISSN 1027–4278
Bruyns, GJB.(2014).‘Crisis as re-scripting agent. The reformulation of (design) values and the repositioning of social-spatial valance within critical landscapes’.InOsman, A., Aigbavboa, C., et al.XXV World Congress of Architecture(UIA 2014 Otherwhere Durban). Durban, South Africa. ISBN 978-0-86970-783-8
Editorial Work - Journals
Sohn, H., Kousoulas, S., &Bruyns, GJB., (2015). ‘Commoning as Differentiated Publicness: emerging concepts of the urban and other material realities’. Footprint; Delft Architecture Theory Journal. Amsterdam: Techne Press. https://doi.org/10.31182/cubic.2018.1.003
Hasdell, P., &Bruyns, GJB. (2018). Cubic Journal; Design Social | Technology, Activism, Anti-Social. Cubic Journal: Design Social, Design Economies, Design Making. https://doi.org/10.31182/cubic.2018.1.003
Editorial Work - Books
Bruyns, GJB., Wirman, H. (2018). ‘Why the commons? Thinking design social, design economies and, design making’.PhD Winter School Document. Hong Kong. 978-988-16722-5-4.
Osman, A., Aigbavboa, C.,Bruyns, GJB, et al.(2014).XXV World Congress of Architecture(UIA 2014 Otherwhere Durban). International Student Competition Book. Durban, South Africa. ISBN 978-0-86970-783-8
Osman, A., Aigbavboa, C.,Bruyns, GJB, et al.(2014).XXV World Congress of Architecture(UIA 2014 Otherwhere Durban). Durban, South Africa. ISBN 978-0-86970-783-8
Graafland, AD,Bruyns, GJB& Jacoby, A. (2013).Jerusalem, The Damascus Gate. DIA MA Arch Studio, 2010 – 2011. DIA Architecture School, Anhalt University Department 3.
Bruyns. GJB.,& Graafland, A., (Ed). (2012) ‘African Perspectives - South Africa: City, Society, Space and Architecture’. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers. ISBN 978 90 6450 797 7
Bruyns. G. & Graafland. A., (2009). Delft School of Design Research and Design Catalogue, Urban Asymmetries Program, MSc 2 Studio Singapore. Delft University of Technology, Publicatie Buro Bouwkunde.Delft. ISBN 978 90 5269 378 1
van Nes, A.,Bruyns. GJB, Fuchs, A., Hoekstra, M., Mijer, H., (Eds). (2007). ‘The European Tradition in Urbanism, and its Future’. Conference Proceedings, Delft University of Technology.Delft: IFOU press. 978-90-78658-04-7.
A. van Nes, C. Pinilla,Bruyns GJB, R. Rocco and Rosemann, J.H. (Eds). (2007). ‘The 5th City’, IFOU Press. Delft.ISBN 978 90 7865803 0.
Healy, P.E., &Bruyns, GJB. (Eds.). (2006).De-/signing The Urban. Technogenesis And the Urban Image.Delft School of Design Series on Architecture and Urbanism, Rotterdam: 010 Publishers. ISBN 906 4506 116
Artistic Contributions in Books
Funk, M., (2015).Funk on Healy, Amsterdam: Synonym Books. ISBN 978-94-91360-03-9
Healy, P. (2008).The Model and Its Architecture. Delft School of Design Series on Architecture and Urbanism. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers. ISBN 978-9064506840.
Research interests
Urban Morphology, Morphologies of Extension, Morphologies of Compression - Morphological expression as part of geopolitical and neoliberal forms of development,
Geopolitical conditions related to spatial entities and the contemporary city,
Formal and spatial questions related to rapid forms of urbanization / spatial militarization,
Post-segregated spatial landscapes.


Expertise: Urban Environment Design: Morphology, geopolitical questions, spatial topographies, radical urbanization, urban and spatial militarization, policy, planning, urban design and composition, post-segregated spatial landscapes.
Hometown: Global citizenship