<CubeHouses>Cube Houses</CubeHouses>

With the idea of a residential complex made up of cubes built on points, Dutch constructivist Piet Blom came up in the mid-1970s. He first built three experimental houses in Helmond near Eindhoven, and when the construction rules became clear, another eighteen cubes followed, arranged in a circular composition. Blom compares his cubes to the crowns of trees, which are placed on the 'trunk' of a communication core. The resulting complex then represents a new 'urban forest' made up of cubes. After the success of the first residential complex, Blom decided to continue in Rotterdam, where he designed a total of 55 cubes, of which only 38 small cubes and two large 'supercubes' were eventually realized.
The more famous and larger Rotterdam project is located in the old harbor area Oude Haven at the transport intersection of the tram stop and subway station Blaak. The urban structure arches like a bridge over the busy six-lane thoroughfare. Each cube contains one residential unit with a total area of 100 square meters. The cube is divided into three floors (the entrance area in the base, the living room with kitchen in the lower part, in the middle segment there are two bedrooms with a bathroom, and on top there is usually a children's room or sun terrace). However, life between the slanted walls did not gain enough reception for Piet Blom to replicate his project elsewhere. In 2009, the so-called 'supercubes' were converted into a hostel, so everyone can experience life in a house built on its tip for themselves. It must be admitted that most guests are satisfied with spending just one night here.

Piet Blom tried to convince with the example of cube houses that apartment buildings do not have to look like traditional dwellings at first glance. His project served the new political administration coming to power in 1974 as a precedent for further experimental construction in Rotterdam. The city council set the highest priority for residential construction and at the same time declared that it would support vibrant architecture after a long period of utilitarian and boring buildings. In terms of scale and location, the Rotterdam commission was a great challenge for Blom. At the same time, he wanted to avoid too much impact of his project on the surroundings. He divided the project into three parts so that at first glance it would not appear that it was designed by only one architect. The project thus consists of a thirteen-story hexagonal tower (Blaaktoren) resembling a pointed crayon in shape, seven-story terrace houses facing the port (Spaanse Kade), and between them is inserted a forest of cube houses (Kubuswoning). The entire complex contains 270 apartments, 1000 m² of commercial spaces, and parking for 300 cars.
Blom was convinced that people in urban communities should feel similarly to those in the countryside. On the other hand, developers were forced to fit 205 housing units on one hectare. Approaching the original idea allowed him the metaphor of a forest, where the housing is elevated into the tree crowns, so that the ground level can remain free for social activities. The concept of lifting the ground level is based on Le Corbusier's ideas. In contrast, the residential bridge refers to the even earlier example of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.
During the realization, the design underwent a number of transformations. On one hand, it was significantly influenced by the traffic situation, but also by historical findings during excavation work. The construction, which was also slowed down by the economic recession, was completed only in 1984, but just four years later the wooden structure needed repairs and the original shingles were replaced with zinc sheet covering. The commercial spaces on the bridge had to be converted into offices. In contrast, the restaurants and bars in the port area of Oude Haven have become a sought-after location with an unmistakable atmosphere.
Piet Blom had plenty of innovative ideas. However, he was reluctant to compromise, and as a result, his portfolio of realized buildings is not very extensive.