Cube Houses

Just across the way from Rotterdam's Blaak Station, stand's a housing complex so unique as to rank as one of the Netherlands most innovative modern architectural projects. Designed by the renown architect, Piet Blom, the Cube Houses of Rotterdam were conceived of as an ingenious way to link the two small parcels of unoccupied residential land on either side of the busy Blaak street. Each house is composed of a cube, tilted at an angle of 55 degrees, perched atop hexagonal pillars. Piet Blom envisioned an asymmetrical plan, with each cube representing a tree, together forming an urban forest of sorts. Made up of 38 regular cubes and two "super-cubes", the housing complex even spans a pedestrian overpass across Blaak street. Not only are the houses visually striking, living in them has proven to be a truly unique challenge, with residents having to cope with limited space spread across four floors and walls that slant at odd angles. The Show Cube Museum is a showcase of life in the cube houses, and a popular tourist attraction.