New architecture website traces a century of Brussels' building facades

Anyone who is interested in architecture will notice the extraordinary variety of house facades that can be seen all across Brussels, in their variety a physical manifestation of the city’s mixture of so many different cultures.

Now a new website has launched named Admirable Facades that features examples of all the architectural movements of the 20th century.

Spanning a century of architecture, from Art Nouveau to the 1990s, more than 250 buildings are currently listed. Each with its address, its architect, the year of its construction, its position on the street map and with as many photos as possible.

The site is the brainchild of Jean-Jacques and Brigitte Evrard-Lauwereins who created their own design agency in 1976, which later specialised in packaging design.

The small agency grew and, in 2007, after more than 30 years in the service of brands, they created the Pentawards, the first international competition devoted solely to packaging design which, in just a few years, has become the world benchmark.

After 10 years they gave that up and their current commitment is to celebrate the facades of Brussels with this rich and beautiful website.

The website is also divided into types of details such as letterboxes, street numbers, architects’ signatures and door handles - although they missed including boot scrapers but that’s something that you can add to your list of things to notice during your expeditions to the different neighbourhoods.

The buildings available for interior visits are clearly indicated with a link to their reservation site.