Monday's fire at Brussels’ Kanal museum has delayed the opening of the new building for the architecture centre’s collections and archives. However, the rest of the museum is still due to open on 28 November.
The Kanal-Centre Pompidou Foundation announced the latest delay on Tuesday, a day after the blaze broke out at the museum site shortly after 18:00.
According to the foundation, the fire started on the technical roof of one of the museum’s new towers, which will house Kanal Architecture, formerly known as CIVA.
Firefighters brought the blaze fully under control by 21:00. No one was working in the building at the time, and no injuries were reported.
The foundation said at least half of the air-conditioning systems on the technical roof caught fire. Investigations are under way to assess the condition of the remaining installations.
Experts are also examining the roof’s waterproofing and structural stability. In addition, the firefighters’ response caused significant water damage across a large part of the new building.
The fire at the future Kanal museum in Brussels, Monday 6 July 2026. Credit: Brussels Fire Brigade
Work is continuing to make several parts of the new building accessible when the museum opens, including Kanal Architecture’s exhibition rooms, the bookshop, the library and workshop spaces.
"It is a huge blow at this final stage before opening, because everything was on schedule for all the teams," Kanal director Yves Goldstein said.
"Fortunately, the damage is limited to the part of the building that will house the architecture centre. The main thing is that Kanal’s opening, planned for 28 November, is not in question."
