Cottages / The strangest houses in the world / Cube Houses, Netherlands

   The cube house Blom are three floors: the bottom of the so-called street house with kitchen and living room, in between the sky house with space for study and bedroom, and upper loofhut, a triangular pyramid with space for a conservatory , a balcony or a small garden. The hexagonal column which the house rests, are the entrance and stairwell.

 

    The first three cube houses were in 1974 and 1975 built on the Europaweg in Helmond, as a sample of a larger project that was realized in the following years. The project had the status of "experimental" and thus could claim additional subsidy from the government . In the first instance, the great interest and widespread. In an American magazine, the design in November 1975 as "bling string of huge dice "and Helmond newspaper reported in December about a score of candidates for the three cubes. In mid 1976, however, showed interest subsided and there were not enough buyers were found for all the stilt houses. The 18 homes of the future project surround the theater 's Playhouse , performing an architectural whole. The theater consists of 37 cubes and contains three rooms. The largest room has a capacity of 430 seats. The corresponding theater cafe is named after Sanders & Blom Blom architect and artist Har Sanders , the two spiritual fathers of the special buildings.

 

   In May or June 1974 was the first spade into the ground. On December 3 the construction work reached the highest point of the first house on stilts, with traditional construction projects is an important symbolic event. The supporting columns and the floors are made of reinforced concrete , the tilted cube consists of a wooden skeleton that inside and outside is finished with cement / wood fiber board . In a publicity stunt to an idea of the architect gave professional decorators on March 29, 1975 a demonstration " hung on the sloping walls "in the new homes. On October 28 1977 followed finally the official opening of the theater building in the presence of Princess Beatrix to the premiere of the musical Take Helmond example.

 

   The architecture of the theater by the end users valued differently. According Youp van 't Hek , the room is not conducive to good play, "Pretty theater. Very theatrical, but also difficult. The architecture is also leading a bit off. You have always a backdrop for. But a nice decor though. The first time I was stunned by the exceptional. Really. The second time was the third time it was accustomed and almost irritating, I longed for a dark black box ". Also Jenny Arean is critical, but it prevails or the praise: "What a beauty! This unique room made me a fan was Har Sanders. It is a playful but beautiful theater. I must say that it is a terribly awkward theater and sometimes it's really magic. " 

 

   The cube houses over 38 Blaak near the Old Port of Rotterdam were built between 1982 and 1984 , after an initial presentation of the plans in 1978. The design is a variation on the Helmondse cube house. The fly is called a high official of the Overblaak, but the entire complex is known as the Forest Blaakse . The complex comprises the cube houses, some large cubes, a residential tower known as The Pencil and a residential flat. The name of the complex refers to the vision of the architect, which each house a tree is suggested and the whole complex a forest . The idea was sort of a village in the big city, a safe environment in which various functions were located. Shops, businesses, school and play area for children under the pedestrian walking area and live there. The interaction between the private and public life, according to the idea particularly because of the slanted windows in the houses.

 

   The cube houses are privately owned and occupied. It is unknown whether the process differs from conventional housing. Because of its location over a busy highway , all booths run as closed rooms with roll-over windows . The larger cubes house an entertainment center, offices and studios. One of the houses, the look-cube serves as a public museum about life in stilt houses and set up.

 

   Among architects, the mastery of Blom not denied, but his creations are controversial. The architecture is quite common in professional circles and rejected his concept of living in trees has not been repeated wide. That said, the Rotterdam site as one of the more relaxed and pleasant places in the city. As a link between the Kolk and the Old Port underlined the historic importance of the street nearby. The cube houses attract many tourists from abroad, where they are traditionally known as a model for modern architecture of the city, because no high-rise is pronounced but progressive. The experimental pedestrian street is a whole with the Spanish Kade , who Blom brick vormgaf like a Mediterranean fishing village. The steps above a café on the Old Port is formed by a balustrade of stone columns. "It seems the epitome of bad taste to be that Blom somewhere historic ornaments picked up and into his building has taken to enhance the picturesque effect. The railing is old and in a sense, authentic. It is the only remnant of a the most modern and technically advanced buildings of the nineteenth century in Rotterdam, Plan C . " 

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