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Cube Houses (Kubuswoningen)From: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Rotterdam
has a long tradition of modern architecture: Its Witte Huis or "White House" was
the tallest building in Europe when it went up in 1898, and the Rotterdam
Tourist Office boasts about its architects the way Liverpool brags about the
Beatles. Still, when the late architect Piet Blom came up with a proposal for
his Kubuswoningen or "Cube Houses" in the 1970s, more than a few Dutch eyebrows were raised.
Blom saw each cube-shaped dwelling as a "treehouse" or
"polehouse" in a forest, or as a modular component in an urban village that would
combine private and public functions such as housing, small businesses, a
playground, and a school. He built his first batch of 21 cube houses in the town
of Helmond from 1975 to 1977. A year later, Blom presented his concept for the Rotterdam
Kubuswoningen. Construction began in 1982, and the project was completed in
1984.
Each
Kubuswoning is built in the shape of a tilted block,
with living quarters on several levels and exterior walls that tilt downward to
face the ground or upward to face the sun. Windows and skylights open, and each
dwelling even has a small balcony. After a quarter of a century, a significant number of the
original occupants still live in the Cube Houses, and the odd-shaped but
surprisingly spacious dwellings continue to attract adventurous Rotterdammers
who are willing to live without Granny's armoire or rectilinear wall systems
from Ikea. There are three ways to see the interior of a Cube House: By making friends with a resident (not very practical,
unless you get lucky with a "Looking for a Cube House buddy" ad on
Craigslist).
By booking a bed at
Stayokay Hostel Rotterdam, a Hostelling International youth hostel that opened
in the Kubuswoningen in 2009. By paying a small fee to visit the
Kijk-Kubus or "Show-Cube (see
below), a model dwelling outfitted with custom furniture designed by
the museum director. The Show-Cube has several exhibits about the project and its history.
The
Kijk-Kubus or Show Cube is open daily from 10
a.m.to 6 p.m. Follow the signs to the entrance, which is simply a doorway
beneath one of the cubes.
Be prepared to climb a steep flight of Dutch-style
steps; at the top of the stairs, you'll enter the cube dwelling's living room,
where you can buy an inexpensive ticket.
For more information, visit the official
Kijk-Kubus Web site.
The
Kubuswoningen are just south of the Rotterdam Blaak railroad and Metro station,
at the top of the Oude Haven (Old Harbor). They're only a short walk from most
other locations in the city center, but if you're in a hurry, you can reach the
Blaak Station by NS commuter train or Metro, or by local tram or bus (see the
RET transit agency's
journey planner). Tip: Allow time for a visit to the Oude Haven
(where you'll find a number of waterside bars and restaurants) and the
Rotterdam Central Library, which has English-language reading materials
and free Internet terminals upstairs.
The Cube Houses are just above Rotterdam's Oude Haven (Old
Harbor).
This view up the façade of
the Kubuswoningen, or Cube Houses, shows the basic structural layout: Each cube
rests on its corner atop a base of brick and concrete. An entrance staircase
leads from the dwelling's doorway to the living space inside the cube.
From the courtyard inside the Kubuswoningen complex, you can see
the Rotterdam Central Library next door. Rotterdam's central Bibliotheek was the largest public library
in the Netherlands at the time of its construction in the 1980s. Its facilities
include a cabaret theatre and a café-restaurant.
The most desirable Cube Houses are the ones facing the Old
Harbor. Note how the windows look downward--a great idea for "Neighborhood
Watch" programs.
A sign warns residents and visitors against using soft drugs.
(It isn't clear whether hard drugs are forbidden.)
After you've stashed your hash, head upstairs to the Kijk-Kubus
or Show-Cube. (You might as well be clear-headed when entering the cube
dwelling, since the layout is a trip in itself.)
The Show-Cube's main level, or living room, doubles as a ticket
office and bookshop. (Note: Our fisheye lens introduced some distortion,
but the walls really do tilt outward.)
The Show-Cube's furniture was custom-designed by the museum
director.
The courtyard of the Kubuswoningen complex is visible
through the living-room windows.
Steep stairs, similar to those in an old Dutch canal house, lead
to the upper levels of the cube dwelling.
1970s-style supergraphics are at the occupant's discretion.
A view across the roofs of neighboring Cube Houses shows the
upper floors of the Rotterdam Central Library and several apartment buildings.
Interior views are even more impressive, especially as you climb
higher in the Show-Cube.
If your visit to the Kijk-Kubus or Show-Cube has left you dizzy,
you can ask for a bed at the
Stayokay Hostel Rotterdam
within the Cube Houses project. The hostel's accommodations range from shared 6-
to 9-bed rooms (mixed or single-sex) to private 2-, 4-, or 6-bed rooms and a
"cube studio" for two. About the author: Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation. After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post. For more information, see About Europe for Visitors, press clippings, and reader testimonials.
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