There's a stunning modern house in Ixelles that looks like an alien spaceship has landed in Brussels.
The gleaming copper structure was built by the architect Philémon Wachtelaer on a patch of wasteland at the foot of Rue des Champs-Elyseés.
The architect had originally planned a more conventional five-storey apartment building, but finally decided to create a more generous open structure raised on stilts.
This allows people passing by to see through the structure to the buildings on either side.
The architect lives in this surreal house looking out of a city he describes as "a beautiful mess and a joyful chaos."
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
