Adrian was trained in environmental design (UNSW, Sydney) and urbanism (TU Delft), applying design skills to address issues related to infrastructure and resources. He has two decades of experience working across a range of areas and topics such as urban sustainability, mobility, agriculture, ecosystems management, renewable energy networks, production in cities and material cycles.
Born in Canada, raised in Australia and Latin America and living for periods in Barcelona, Rotterdam and now Brussels has given Adrian the capacity to work fluently in different cultural, linguistic and geographic conditions.
His generalist background and autodidactic attitude has taught him to move comfortably between theoretical concepts and technical detail, an invaluable skill for facilitating multi-disciplinary teams. With an interest in cooperation and stakeholder management, Adrian takes a human-centred approach to any project. This provides him with a strong base for dealing with complex problems that require systemic design, transition planning and strategic leadership.
Adrian has a particular interest in production and resource management in urban areas. He developed and coordinated the JPI funded project Cities of Making (2017-2020), exploring manufacturing in Brussels, London and Rotterdam. This resulted in a book called ‘Foundries of the Future’. He supported ESPON developing expertise on spaces for production in European cities in the MISTA project (Metropolitan Industrial Strategies & Economic Sprawl). He supported the Brussels Capital Region with the development of policy associated with the productive city movement for the forthcoming ‘Productive Brussels’ plan. He has provided expertise to France’s PUCA on their productive cities programme and is coordinating the METREX expert group on the same topic. He has lectured extensively at universities and forums across the world such as University College London, TU Delft, TU Vienna, Politecnico di Milano, Global Industrie (Lyon), URBACT, Moscow Urban Forum, Urban Manufacturing Next (Seoul), the Fabcity Summit and the European Week of Cities and Regions.
- MSc Urbanism – TU Delft (NL)
- Diploma in Graphic Communication – Escola Massanna (ES)
- Diploma in European Urbanism – UPC Barcelona (ES)
- B Landscape Architecture – UNSW (AU)
Director and project manager – Osmos Network (BE/NL)
Expert in productive cities – METREX (EU)
Researcher – ULB BATiR (BE)
Project coordinator – Cities of Making (European funded project)
Researcher & designer – BUUR (Leuven BE)
Researcher & course coordinator – TU Delft Faculty of Architecture (NL)
President & board member – Trees of Newcastle (AU)
Associate – Terras Landscape Architects (Newcastle AU)
Expertise
English (native)
Spanish (fluent spoken / fluent writing)
Dutch (fluent spoken / confident writing)
French (fluent / confident writing)
Adrian's insights
Rue Haute
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Redevelopment of a social 400 unit housing complex in a dense inner-city neighbourhood fit for the 21st century.
Serre de Bockstael
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Developing community-based urban agriculture in Brussels.
Sonian Wood Cooperative
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Developing a cooperative to keep the wood from the Sonian Forest local.
Eric Haas
Eric is a co-founder of the Osmos Network, focused on the organisation’s business development.
Francesca Gualino
Francesca is a community development worker, educated in psychology.
Hanne Van Reusel
Hanne is an Osmos Network partner bringing the team expertise on the commons, participative processes and the development of public space.
Julia Rocha
Julia is an Osmos collaborator with expertise in visual communications and public space.
Laurens Van der Cruyssen
Laurens is an Osmos Network partner bringing the network expertise in psychology, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and human-centred design.
Liana Simmons
Liana is an Osmos expert bringing the network a strong foundation in collaboration and cooperation to empower local and regional organisations and communities.
Marco Kooistra
Marco is a founding partner of the Osmos Network responsible for the organisation’s financial management. He brings the network extensive expertise in finance, fiscal strategy, business management and accounting.
Michael Kaethler
Michael is an Osmos expert bringing the network theoretical and methodological skills to address complex and systemic problems often rooted at an epistemological (knowledge) or ontological (being) level.
Nienke Schachtschabel
Nienke is an Osmos expert based Amsterdam (NL). She brings the network extensive experience in visual communication, design research and in agro-ecology.
Stephan Kampelmann
Stephan is a co-founder and expert of the Osmos Network bringing the network practical experience and theoretical knowledge on local economics, resource management and governance within bio-based production chains.
Toha De Brant
Toha is an Osmos expert bringing the network expertise in anthropology and years of practical experience with community building, advocacy and grass-roots development. As a passionate photographer, she also supports the team with documentation of events.