Biography

Joseph De Gryse, is landscape architect and urban planner. After several years of internship in France and Netherlands, notably in Amsterdam, he establishes his design office in 1963 in Brussels and, at the same time, teaches in different schools of landscape architecture, urban planning and architecture.

In parallel with these two functions, he has a very intense community life, as President of Belgian Association of Garden and Landscape Architects from 1972 to 1990 and Delegate to IFLA, during which time he proposed the first Landscape Architecture Charter (1979). During the same period, he successively took up positions of member of the General Assembly, Treasurer and President of IFLA European Council before becoming President of the European Foundation of Landscape Architecture from 1992 to 1997 and finally Honorary President. Since many years ago, he is a lecturer and jury member in schools and in architecture competitions in numerous European cities, he writes, advises and presents didactic shows on Belgian television. He organised together with IFLA European Council international gathering and exhibitions, notably in Brussels in 1988 at the premises of the European Foundation of Landscape Architecture. He is honorary citizen of the city he lives in – Anderlecht (Brussels).