Hubert Froyen

Hubert Froyen was born in Belgium in 1947. He is a person with a congenital absence of a right hand.

Studied architecture in Hasselt (B) and in Leuven (B) and anthropology at KU University Leuven (B) and at UC Berkeley (USA). Diploma of Architect 1972.
He holds an additional M.Arch. degree from UC Berkeley, 1979.

• 1971-1975 Research in the Netherlands on “Adaptable Support structures and Housing Assembly Kits in Mass Housing” (Foundation for Architectural Research, S.A.R., N. John Habraken)
• 1978-1979 Study and Research in the USA, on ‘pattern languages’ and ‘A New Theory of Urban Design’ (UC Berkeley / Center for Environmental Structure, C.E.S., Christopher Alexander).
• Summer 1981. Follow-up research at the University of California, Berkeley and the CES, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley (USA), under prof. dr. C. Alexander and prof. H. Davis.

Since 1973 teaching architecture in Belgium, at the former PHL Department of Architecture, now integrated in Hasselt University (UHasselt), Faculty of Architecture and Arts, and appointed professor in January 1996. On April 1st, 2012 emeritus status was accorded to him.

Founding member of the Toegankelijkheidsbureau (Office for Accessibility, 1993) and from 2006 to 2015 vice-president of ENTER (Governmental Center of Expertise for Accessibility)

Former director of the Belgian national membership organisation of the ‘European Institute for Design and Disability’, and actual member of UIA Work Programme ‘Architecture for All’, in Region 1.

Author of a Dutch language design guide for Adaptable Housing (1994) and a Universal Design Toolkit (2006). In May 2012 he published ‘Universal Design. Een methodologische benadering’ (Dutch). In November 2012 the English translation, under the title ‘Universal Design, A Methodological Approach, A Pathway to Human-Friendly and Elegant Architecture’ is published by the Institute for Human Centered Design, 200 Portland Street, Boston Ma 02114, USA.

Holder of the 2004 ‘Ron Mace / Designing for the 21st Century Award’,
‘…in recognition of leadership in nourishing a vision of design that works for everyone and that has taken the critical steps to make that vision real’
Designing for the 21st Century III, International Conference on Universal Design, Rio de Janeiro,
07-12 December 2004

In his ongoing work in the field of ‘integral and inclusive Design for All’ / Universal Design, he finds a fruitful symbiosis of his professional career as an architect-researcher / design teacher, and his private life as a person with a congenital limb deficiency.

Address : em.prof. Hubert Froyen, M.Arch. Hasselt University (UHasselt), Faculty of Architecture and Arts. University Campus, Building E, B-3590 Diepenbeek, BELGIUM

Tel. +32 (0)11 249 200. hubert.froyen@uhasselt.be