-01.png)
About
RUA is an office of urbanism that has been working in various capacities in Vietnam since 1997. RUA addresses the dynamic urban development context through intensive processes of collaboration with Vietnamese partners.
Past collaborators
Marlies AERTS
Mahmoud ALSALTI
Zeba AMIR
Iosif ATHANASIOU
Bieke CATTOOR
Ermioni CHATZIMICHAIL
Tracy COLLIER
Annelies DE NIJS
Daan DERDEN
Molly FANCLER
Janina GOSSEYE
Dana HAWI
Eric J. HEIKKILA
Christina HOOD
Elena KASSELOURI
Donielle KAUFMAN
Chris KESTELOOT
Carlos MORALES
Laetitia NOUR
Sebastian OVIEDO CASTELNUOVO
Bindi PURNAMA
Claudia Lucia ROJAS BERNAL
Haifa Wajeeh Mustafa SALEH
Arthur STACHE
Michaël STAS
Georgina TRUTER
Philippa VAN RYNEVELD
Machiel VAN NIEUWENHOVE
Cati VILQUIN
VU Minh Phuoc
Michael WAIBEL
Socio-ecological Urbanism
The urbanism of RUA addresses the cascade of contemporary crises with particular attention paid to social and ecological justice. Landscape systems are a foundation for RUA urbanism and the development of new built / unbuilt relations.
Capacity Building
RUA has a long tradition of capacity building in the world of practice, for public authorities and with education.
Various programs been developed (summer- or winters schools, seminars, workshops, urban design charettes, study trips, and fieldwork experiences) where a process of learning by doing is emphasized.
Our Creative
Team
Bruno DE MEULDER
1960
co-founder, engineer architect / urbanist
5-year architecture degree, KU Leuven (Leuven), 1983
PhD in Engineering Science: Architecture, KU Leuven (Leuven), 1994
Professor of Urbanism, KU Leuven
Kelly SHANNON
1965
co-founder, architect / urbanist
5-year architecture degree, Carnegie-Mellon University (Pittsburgh), 1983
2-year post-grad master, Berlage Institute (Amsterdam), 1994
PhD in Engineering Science: Architecture, KU Leuven (Leuven), 2004
Professor of Urbanism, KU Leuven
VU Thi Phuong Linh
1976
5-year architecture degree, Hanoi Architecture University, 1999
1-year post-grad master of Human Settlements, KU Leuven (Leuven), 2005
PhD in Engineering Science, KU Leuven (Leuven), ongoing
PHAM Thi Phuong Nhung
1992
5-year architecture degree, University of Architecture HCMC (HCMC), 2015
1-year post-grad master of Human Settlements, KU Leuven (Leuven), 2022
2-year post-grad master of Architecture, Aalto University (Espoo), 2024
NGUYEN Minh Quang
1993
4-year architecture in urban design degree, University of Architecture HCMC-KU Leuven (HCMC), 2015
2-year master of Architecture, KU Leuven (Leuven), 2017
1-year post-grad master of Human Settlements, KU Leuven (Leuven), 2018
PhD in Engineering Science: Architecture, KU Leuven (Leuven), 2023
Lecturer in Urban Design, Institute of Smart City and Management, University of Economics HCMC
Critical & Contextual
Existing sites and their complexities are always the starting point for RUA projects. Fieldwork is crucial. Critically evaluated sites and contemporary issues across scales lay the ground for projective future visions. Radical, yet feasible, solutions mark RUA projects.
Global < > Local
Since its inception, RUA has collaborated with Vietnamese experts from practice, academia and public institutions. RUA values the exchange of international and local expertise and knowledge as well as a dialogue between project development and research.