CIVA, Architectural center and arts museum in Ixelles, Belgium

CIVA is a cultural and architectural center in Brussels that combines archives, libraries, and exhibition spaces dedicated to architecture, urban planning, and landscape design. The collection holds approximately 40,000 publications and original drawings and project materials from various periods.

CIVA was officially created in 1999 by the French Community Commission (COCOF), bringing together several non-profit organisations linked to the history of architecture and landscape. In 2015 it was reorganised to unite its archive, education and exhibition activities, and in early 2017 several archive funds were fully integrated into the CIVA Foundation. It closed its doors at the rue de l'Ermitage building on 19 December 2025 ahead of a move to the former Citroën garage, and on 28 January 2026 it was announced that the institution would be renamed Kanal Architecture.

The building at rue de l'Ermitage 55 and rue de la Vanne 2 was put up in 1895 in eclectic style, with a red-brick facade and blue-stone trim, and enlarged in 1901 from three bays to six on rue de la Vanne. Inside, cast-iron columns and metal beams carry ceilings of brick vaults. Since 2000 it has housed exhibition rooms, archives, a library and a lecture hall.

The building stands at the corner of Rue de l'Ermitage 55 and Rue de la Vanne 2 in Ixelles; the entrance moved from Rue de l'Ermitage to Rue de la Vanne. The CIVA closed this site on 19 December 2025 ahead of its transfer to the former Citroën garage at Quai de Willebroeck 6, so check the current address before visiting.

The center preserves original building drawings and project documents for Belgian architecture from medieval times to today, with some serving as artworks themselves. This collection is not merely an archive but visually documents the evolution of Belgian construction over centuries.