Rotterdam's cubic houses

The "forest" of cubic houses (see description below)

A close up of the cubic houses

Nick contemplating how many times he would hit his head on the angled walls if he were to live in a cubic house

Made it down the stairs!

Yesterday we went and trotted around Rotterdam. We visited the famous cubic houses which are close to the city and forked out the 2 euro to see what they are like inside (we just couldn't understand how people live there!!). Once inside we realised they are much better from the outside. Ha! It looks normal inside except that the walls are all at wacky angles! They are three floors but it is very small and unless you are my size you are pretty much guaranteed to get a headache from the constant head banging on the strangely angled walls.

Anyway, to give you some background on these cubic houses:

Piet Blom 1984

The original idea of these cubic houses came about in the 1970s. Piet Blom has developed a couple of these cubic houses that were built in Helmond.

The city of Rotterdam asked him to design housing on top of a pedestrian bridge and he decided to use the cubic houses idea. The concept behind these houses is that he tries to create a forest by each cube representing an abstract tree; therefore the whole village becomes a forest.

Hmm interesting.. an abstract forest. What's wrong with real trees I ask (eww nature!)? Or at least... make the houses green not yellow! I guess it's all part of the abstract idea...