{"id":15442,"date":"2020-03-09T13:36:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T11:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?p=15442"},"modified":"2021-04-05T11:14:54","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T09:14:54","slug":"cubic-houses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/netherlands\/rotterdam\/cubic-houses\/","title":{"rendered":"Cubic Houses \u2013 houses on the edge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
A major point of interest in Rotterdam are the Cubic Houses near the big Market Hall. A must-see for fans of architecture and at the top of our Rotterdam to-do list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Dutch architect Piet Blom created the first designs for the Cubic Houses in 1973\/74. The premise was to design houses that resemble trees. The trunk is used to utilise more vertical space. It has a hexagonal footprint and houses a pantry on the ground floor. External stairs lead up to the entrance of the main habitation space which is off the ground. The main habitation space represents the crown of a tree. The crown is cubic, its edges are 7.5 meters long, it is tilted and rests on one corner. Three sides of the cube point down and three sides point up. The sides are timber frame constructions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The living space\nof the flat measures 100 m\u00b2 on three floors. The floorplan is the\nsame in all cubes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first Cubic Houses were built in Helmond. Sadly, they were severely damaged in a fire in 2011. Planning for the Cubic Houses in Rotterdam began in 1978. The idea was to build 74 houses and a community centre. Due to financial problems, the construction was delayed and the number of cubes reduced. 51 Cubic Houses were completed in 1984. 38 of them are private houses that were sold before the building process was finished. The rest of them are home to shops, a restaurant and a school. Visitors can even spend the night in one of the bigger cubes, it is a hostel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We walk towards the Cubic Houses along a busy main road. The houses arch over the road and can be used as pedestrian crossings. We walk up some stairs and come out on the promenade level. On this level, one has access to the shops and the restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is fascinating to walk between these houses. The look of these houses is just so unique and I wonder what it is like to live in such a special building. Luckily, there is the Museum Cube that can be visited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We arrive at a small staircase that leads up to the entrance of the museum. The stairs are just about wide enough for one person to walk them at a time. A member of staff is located near the door to regulate the stair traffic and to make sure that there are no accidents. After we passed the main door, we have to go up another flight of stairs. These stairs, too, are narrow and steep. One has to maintain a certain degree of fitness to live in a Cubic House. Every single flight of stairs is like that. Getting a bulky object up these stairs must be quite the challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\nVisiting the Museum Cube (Kijik-Kubus)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n