Compost Studios

A popular dance song by the 70s R&B band the Commodores was called Brick House. When the funky lead singer leaned into the microphone and drawled, “She’s a brick----hooooouse,” we all knew it was a compliment. A woman was a brick house when she was stacked, good looking, built to last.

I was thinking that maybe Brick House could be Belgium’s unofficial architectural theme song. When I first flew into the country, the image that imprinted on my brain was of red tile roofs and brick buildings gleaming in the morning sun against a backdrop of green. On the ground, I saw bricks, bricks, and more bricks. Homes, barns, commercial buildings, mailboxes, walls, sidewalks, steps, streets--everywhere I turned.

There were charming town houses with stepped roofs, brick buildings with fancy Art Deco flourishes, farm buildings standing stout in the fields, adorable brick cottages with shutters and window boxes full of flowers, sleek and modern homes with vast expanses of glass and industrial details, aging brick rich in texture and history.

Forget the boring expanses of concrete and asphalt that dominate the American landscape, Belgians use brick to create artwork under their feet and wheels. Driveways, sidewalks and roads boast pavers laid in classic running bond fashion or fancy patterns like herringbone, fan, and basket weave. Varying colors are used to punctuate and highlight the designs. It’s a joy to lean out my third-floor window and admire the artwork below.

I live in a peaked-roof brick cottage with a red tile roof, ceramic tile floors, and some brick interior walls. The wind may howl and moan but this house never creaks and squeaks. Only the shutters shake and rattle the calm. No matter the weather, the house stands firm.

A native here told me there’s a saying in Belgium that each baby born is born with a “brick in the belly.” This makes perfect sense. Stalwart Belgians are grounded by that “brick in the belly.” It reflects their national character. The ubiquitous red brick is sturdy and a welcome wash of vibrant color against the omnipresent gray skies and silver rain.

I sometimes imagine that carefully laid brick is the ultimate symbol of Belgium’s past and present. Its pervasiveness unites a country divided by long standing cultural and economic issues. Brick stands strong, transcends time, and withstands the forces that buffet and blow across the Low Countries. Thus far, Belgium has too.

March 23, 2006