Design consultancy Mather has been awarded the contract for a new project in the heart of Brussels dedicated to Belgian beers.

Working alongside local architects Robbrecht en Daem and Baneton Garrino, Mather will convert the former Brussels Stock Exchange into the Belgian Beer Palace exhibition, which is hoping to rival the likes of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and the BRC-designed Heineken Experience in Amsterdam.

Occupying two floors of the Palais de la Bourse, the exhibition will include spaces for visitors to learn about and experience more than 1,000 different beers brewed across the country. A ‘Belgian Beer Passport’ will be a highlight of the exhibition, allowing visitors to build a menu of beers to try on their visit, which they can sample at the end on the building’s panoramic rooftop bar, which also offers expansive views of surrounding Brussels.

The experience will also teach visitors the history of Belgian beer, as well as offer a look at the brewing process in a series of interactive galleries, before entering a beer lab where they can discover tastes and match them to a complementary regional dish.

“The exhibition will be developed in harmony with the historic building and will showcase the rich history of the brewing industry and how this culture has evolved in Belgium,” said Dan Proctor design director at Mather. “We aim for the exhibition to show the spirit of invention that is unique to Belgian brewers.”

The attraction is set for late 2018 and will be funded by the Brussels Region, the European Fund ERDF, Beliris – City of Brussels, and the Belgian Brewers.