Tourist attraction
CBR Building
White concrete honeycomb panels and orange-tinted windows make this late-1960s office block in Watermael-Boitsfort one of Brussels' most recognisable functionalist buildings, and its ground-floor bar lets you sit inside and take in the space.
The story
Brodzki and Lambrichs built this former company headquarters at the end of the 1960s, with a Polish-Belgian architect behind the design. Its striking facade is a grid of prefabricated elements in white cement concrete, set against orange-tinted glass, forming a pattern like a honeycomb. Morning light shows it at its sharpest. The exterior has been compared to the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome's EUR district, though the interior has its own character. Since 2018 the building has been on the Brussels-Capital Region's protection list. Inside, a bar on the ground floor serves coffee, and you can move between seats to study the interior and its design details. The surroundings suit a longer architectural walk, with other notable buildings close by, including the former Royale Belge, now Hotel Mix.
Good to know
TAGGG AI- ✦Order a coffee at the ground-floor bar to sit inside and look around the interior at your own pace.
- ✦Visit in the morning, when the light makes the honeycomb facade look its most dramatic.
- ✦It is roughly 25 minutes by tram from Louizalaan, and nearby buildings like the former Royale Belge make a good walk.