Federations are not static; they are constantly being modified and adjusted to accommodate pressures, both from outside and from within. Creation of federal structures is a 'matter of concrete actions at specific times.' Federal structures were created in Belgium because of the need to deal with existing conflicts. In Belgium, federation was intended to ease internal tensions and prevent any potential for conflict. As Deschouwer notes, federation was not the result of 'a deliberate choice, but of incremental conflict management.' This article analyses federal institutional design of Belgium. It sheds light on the internal dynamics that paved the way for federalisation of Belgium. The purpose of this article is to understand the main features of the Belgian federal architecture, how it functions and how it has evolved over time.