Van Orley is the housing option for international students staying in Brussels for periods of up to five months. Brik offers spacious rooms – single or shared with a roommate – located in a beautiful building with a vibrant international atmosphere. This is your base from which to explore the capital of the European Union.
Who are we?
The Van Orley International Student House is managed by Brik – Student in Brussels, a non-profit student-services organisation. Through Brik, you’ll find a student room, learn all about life in Brussels and be part of some awesome events. We make your student time in Brussels the experience of a lifetime - together with Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Erasmushogeschool Brussel, Odisee, LUCA – School of Arts and KU Leuven Brussels campuses.
You can find us at Zavelput 20, 1000 Brussels.
Our mission
Brik wants to provide affordable, decent housing for students in Brussels. In the Van Orley International Student House we offer international students a place to stay for anything from two weeks to one semester.
We aim to offer our residents a hassle-free home during their time here. We try to be approachable as a landlord. Our offices are very close – just around the corner, and open every workday. This helps a lot. The location is central, with good public transport connections, making it easy for students to travel to school.
The Van Orley Student House is also a laboratory: we bring people together from different nationalities and backgrounds and make a community. People who have lived in Van Orley say this works better than we had hoped. Many still stay in contact with their Van Orley family …
The house
Van Orley is in a beautiful Beaux Arts building on the corner of one of the main streets of Brussels. It was built in 1914 by the brothers Chambon and commissioned by entrepreneur Lucien Kaisin. It was originally the head office of the bank ‘Credit Général Hypothécaire’ which explains the grandeur.
In 2007: after briefly being a student hotel named ‘Brussels International Student Centre’, it became known as the Van Orley International Student House. It came to meet the needs of many Erasmus students and interns: student housing for short stays in Brussels.
The name
Just like the street it is located in, the student residence takes its name from Barent/Bernard van Orley. He is one of the key figures in Renaissance art in the Low Countries. As a leading artist, renowned for his paintings, tapestries and stained-glass windows, he was often commissioned by the 16th-century European nobility. His art has spread all over Europe and around the world.
