CBR & Glaverbel: two icons from the 1960s

The former headquarters of Belgian glass company Glaverbel (1967) is a textbook example of modernist office architecture. The Terhulpsesteenweg was not chosen as a location by chance: the green, park-like surroundings and the prestigious character of the neighborhood fit seamlessly with the image of the innovative glass company. The architects deliberately chose a place where nature and architecture could enter into dialogue – the building seems to float among the trees, with large glass sections drawing the landscape inside. The perfect circular shape makes the building as impressive as it is idiosyncratic: perhaps not the most practical design, but undoubtedly one that appeals to the imagination and was far ahead of its time.

Opposite Glaverbel is the CBR building (1967–1970), once the headquarters of Belgium's largest concrete company. The façade is – how could it be otherwise – made entirely of raw concrete, with striking orange windows supplied by Glaverbel. The architects wanted to showcase the possibilities and aesthetics of concrete. Today, the CBR building has been given a new lease of life as a co-working space, where new forms of collaboration and creativity find a place within this modernist heritage.

During these exclusive interior visits, you will have a unique opportunity to look inside two buildings that are usually closed to the public. A guide will take you behind the facades and tell you the story of these iconic sites: from their architectural and material value to their evolution over time, and how they are taking on new meaning today in a changing urban context.