Charlemagne Building, Brussels

The Charlemagne building is a prominent high-rise located in the European Quarter of Brussels. It serves as the home for several important entities, including the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, the Directorate-General for Trade, and, since 2015, the Internal Audit Service of the Commission.

Designed by architect Jacques Cuisinier and built in 1967 (the same year bell-bottoms were all the rage), the building features three wings and encompasses 15 floors. Its construction coincided with that of the Berlaymont building, with the aim of centralizing various departments of the European Commission that were previously scattered; however, due to the Commission's decision not to share the Berlaymont with the Council of the European Union, the Charlemagne building was allocated to the Council's secretariat in 1971. It remained in this capacity until the Council relocated to the Justus Lipsius building in 1995, allowing for a comprehensive renovation of the Charlemagne.

The renovation, overseen by architect Helmut Jahn, was completed in 1998 and involved a transformation of the building's predominantly concrete exterior into one featuring extensive glass elements (because every building wants to be transparent these days). Following the restoration, the building became the new home for the Commission, contributing to the consolidation of various European Union offices around the Schuman roundabout. It's where important decisions are made, and where coffee expenses are audited with the seriousness they deserve.