Cube Houses hang on pylons like a forest canopy in Rotterdam
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 18 июн 2017
- Tilted at a 55 degree angle Rotterdam’s “Cube Houses” (Kubuswoningen) seem to defy gravity.
Dreamed up by architect Piet Blom in the 1970s to help the city turn a downtown overpass into housing, this oblique housing was Blom’s attempt to defy the idea that “a building has to be recognizable as a house for it to qualify as housing.”
Blom perched each slanted cubic residence on a pillar to create individual “tree” houses and connected them all to form an urban “forest”.
Lilian raised her son Mitch in their cube home and while the square footage is small (some are just 240 square feet), the cubic footage is much larger. There are no straight exterior walls and opening or closing a window can be a battle with gravity.
Today, Lilian and Mitch run their home as a guesthouse, but they said living in the home meant keeping possessions to a minimum. “A lot of people bring a lot of stuff into their house, but then you lose the effect of the building because already it has it's own vibes, or it’s own atmosphere.”
The Cube Houses are now one of the city’s top tourist attractions, and an Instagram favorite. One of the two extra-large “super cubes” is now a hostel.
Lilian and Mitch’s rental cube: www.airbnb.com/rooms/817858 
Хобби
The builders should get a gold medal for completing this massive project without going crazy trying to get everything to match the architect's vision, using normal linear tape measures.
The original cube houses are in Helmond (North Brabant)
These homes in Rotterdam are just copies.
It looks a bit crazy and yes - Kudos to the builders. It’s better than one apartment on top of another in a boring rectangular shape.
@@Trying_very the're impractical AF. Just visited one of them. Boring rectangular shape is the best way there is.
While it wouldn't be for me personally, I think it's a great experiment of architecture. To take an overpass and turn it in to this creative living space, which clearly some people enjoy, is rather unique!
The cool thing about the Netherlands is how the presenter nonchalantly says, "Twenty people live in that house. They're in the last phase of their detention..." Meanwhile, in America (and even Canada), "middle-class people" wouldn't want to live anywhere near people who have been to jail...
S Brian Chong I would've guessed rehab
I live in the US. The drug addicts, former convicts, homeless, all live outside my building. There is no need to mention them. Since they don't have housing themselves, they're very clearly visible.
I freaking love the Netherlands. I've been twice, 2 weeks at a time, and they are the friendliest, most open minded people I've ever met.
Also, no homeless that I saw and I felt so safe. I've asked people who live there why and they told me it's because the police help them instead of punishing them.
Does that mean living in one of these houses is like purgatory? Just kidding...I think they are pretty cool.
the inside of the cube made me nauseous
Glad I'm not the only one. I am feeling very nauseous right now.
diovi rae tumampos me too!!!
You expressed my feeling exactly. I think living in such a house would make me dizzy. Why not instead use globe-shopped "treetops"? They could also interconnect, like overlapping trees in a forest. But I'm no architect, so perhaps there is a reason why round, upright treetops wouldn't have worked so well.
Its like being in a kaleidoscope forever
ja me too...had to stop watching!
Oh my, i couldnt live inside these, i am caustrophobic and these angles are so disturbing. But it is very creative, and it seems you can like it.
I feel the video doesn't do justice to the houses. They sometimes used a lens that makes everything curvy (idk the name). I think the houses are pretty nice, and way larger and spacious than you would imagine once you are inside :).
Fish eye lens?
consider also this seems to be a holiday rental, so it doesn't have much soul. maybe if we saw inside one where someone lives full time it would be different.
totoro myneighbour it is *not* a holiday rental...the woman is living there full time! it's where she raised her son when he was a kid since he was 14 years old..you did not hear what they were saying??...and it's *mostly* a community of *houses.* only *one* unit is a youth hostel and *one* unit is a communal work release house for prisoners being reintegrated into society..some people are working but the majority of the spaces are regular *homes.*
roxanneworld11 she must be a super minimalist then, the house was soulless and only had 1 bottle of orange juice in the fridge
when design totally overrides functionality...
name ah but what if the functionality is in the design, because it's main function is to be a work of art..
@@chanjo5799 Main function is supposed to be housing people
@Carlos Garza Yes but it's doing a very poor job at it, is the point
Absolutely agree.
@Carlos Garza No. Because a house ought to take into consideration the needs of the people living there FIRST and offer them good LIVING design. These houses are self indulgent in their "Look at me, look at me!" design. They're designed as anomalies... to catch people's attention. The Architect was thinking of himself FIRST, of his reputation for doing something original and noticeable, rather than taking into consideration the vast waste of space, the disorientating element, etc. You HAVE TO BE a minimalist to live there. Rather than the house catering to the needs of a family, the people who live there must bend themselves to the house. THAT is what makes it a failure; the house and the Architect's self importance.
HOWEVER, I think it is a fabulous design for an airbnb/hotel accommodation as it offers something completely different/original and THAT is exactly what people are seeking when traveling. In THAT capacity, these would be a great success.
I like the creativity but its making me feel dizzy
I think the camerawork here was slightly shaky.
pretty cool as a sculpture, but must make for a horrible living space. Thanks for the video!
One of my cousins lived in one, it's actually not that bad when you're actually in one
You Don't have much usable room but the "wasted" space makes it look very spacious
@@Lunavii_Cellest i currently live in one right now 🥳 and a lot of our furniture is designed to use all space possible and its a lot bigger then my last home in america..of course not all of the houses are like ours but its the general idea
It’s like the homes are staring at you, judging you in the courtyard.
Loved the design wish I could live in something so unique. However this is the first time watching something that my vertigo said not a snowball chance that I could get near this place.
I go to university almost next to these! I see lots of negative comments... Living in a cube house sure isn't very practical, but the buildings are a form of art! To each their own!
Madelief de kock each building have a different aesthetics and meaning to it
HRO Wijnhaven ;). Anyway, I dislike the look.
Oh but they ARE functional! They function as art, as living space ánd as a cultural atraction to the city. I used to live next to them and it's really a nice alternatieve from all the boring square buildings and houses in a big city. Besides, what a building 'should' be, is devined by the person who creates it and/or using it I think.
Astrid van Namen amen!..as i said in my original comment above, it wouldn't be for me as a home space..but i can appreciate very much what it does for the aesthetic of the community..i can imagine visiting the location outdoors and enjoying it very much! 👍👍👍👍
They are ugy as sin. Ugly, waste of space, useless, horrible space use. I think the only think redeemable from my point of view is the opportunity to see it being destroyed one day!
Totally awesome, different, and alternative insight Kirsten, once again. Looking forward so much to the next instalment as usual. These are perfect for their use as transition from detention to standard living arrangements. Necessary, yet minus the boredom. No wonder young people like them.
I really liked that top view!
These houses are so neat! Great video touring and explaining them!
I was in Rotterdam about 16 years ago at the age of 17 and these were the most prominent memory for me. In Britain we didn't have anything as fun and out there in architecture that I had ever seen. It left me thinking that the Dutch must be very creative and open minded people.
Wow, I really don't like that. Awkward windows and so much wasted space.
But hey, we all like different things.
I've been in there and it's actually not that bad
The original cube houses are in Helmond (North Brabant)
These homes in Rotterdam are just copies.
These are awesome! If everyone is thinking the same, then someone isn't thinking! Very creative which usually means some negative points but there are some positives! Well done
There is a medieval fort in Spain(?) with tilted walls to confuse the intruders.
We rented this house last summer in Rotterdam. It was very cool. It was a few short steps from the Markethall.
The first day we walked about 16 km around the city centre across the river on the Erasmus Bridge. Vibrant city.
despite whatever problem this architecture may present, its spatial richness is amazing !! I would love to live in something like this!
I have been fascinated with these Kubuswohnungen since my father told me about them as a small child... there are actually a few more somewhere else in the Netherlands, IIRC. I love the small footprint these have yet the big total surface area at the same time.
A small country like the Netherlands can only profit from innovative design ideas like this.
Amazing and fascination...and certainly worth a try! Thanks for sharing
I found this after being inspired to design an octahedral cabin, these are amazing and I'm ashamed to have never seen them before now :-)
Very cool!!! Thanks Kirsten!
I knew you would come to Rotterdam one day!
It's really awesome you came this close to home since you've been everywhere.
de groeten from Rotterdam!
Hi Kirsten, thanks for taking me to other countries to experience different structures through your lens. I always look forward to your posts! Subbie from Trinidad.
I actually stayed in the hostel part years ago, it wasn't bad really
I would imagine in a bigger house the slanty walls would be a bit less overwhelming; the ceiling and floor would dominate and give you a frame of reference that does not induce vertigo. But the house we toured -- oh my God.
I love these cube homes, there beautiful and unique, and three floors too😁 would definitely love to live in one 👍🏾
I can't believe all the negative comments here! Honestly, I think these houses are so incredible. It forces you to be creative with furniture placement and also encourages a minimalist lifestyle. You don't even use furniture most of the time anyway? These buildings are awesome! Please keep posting more of these wonderful videos. Cheers! 👍🎞🏠😍
Who needs to be forced to be creative? one is or wants to be or isn't. This looks to me like a burgeoning architect trying to make a splash. Laurie
@@laurieriley8001 but no one is forced to live in these houses, so no forcing of creativity here. people choose to live there because they want to :)
The original cube houses are in Helmond (North Brabant)
These homes in Rotterdam are just copies.
Nice of you to visit our country !!!
This structure is like Marmite - You love it or you hate it:)
Love to hate it - blackpink
I love your channel, please more videos
Imagine if you came home pissed. No drinking in that house.
Very creative !
This is the first house on this show that I really love.
It’s mad and fun! Love it!
I would love to live there! omg they are so funky and unique!
🤢🤮I was getting nauseous and dizzy just watching this video . 🤔wonder if the workers building this project were getting dizzy and nauseous too. 🤨
thank you so much for d video
I visited the cube houses earlier this week. Inspiring that the architect took such a bold, experimental and pioneering approach. Visually they are superb and the "villagey" courtyard works. However, I don't think these properties really work as places to live on the interior. Each room is compromised by a lack of usable space, storage options and an enforced need to purpose-build the furniture. In effect, they are a caravan. There's a lack of usable wall space to hang artworks (which I guess is not important to everyone) so it's difficult to personalise. Also, they appear as though they may be a maintenance nightmare...the walls are very exposed to the weather on all sides meaning there's a crucial need for insulation and repair/redecoration solutions. The rooms are very overlooked by neighbouring properties so that human intimacy and privacy is compromised. I can see why this experiment was not repeated and why so many of the properties are not functioning as real homes rather than architectural showpieces. This woman and her son don't live there surely...an empty fridge, fire-extinguisher and no sense of personalisation...all the hallmarks of a costly AirBnB!!
Wow!!!Amazing....
so cool you were in the netherlands! I would have loved to have a quick coffee meet and greet with you! :-) I've been following your channel for years, always great topics and very inspiring. Did you enjoy your trip?
This is really cool
That was really cool but made me really dizzy haha 😵💫
Also the main stair wells gave me anxiety lol. Like omg those steps were so small!!!
thats super cool. what an inspiring space to live
That is so cool! Amazing what they can build. As for me, I think I would have a feeling of falling down, at least until my mind gets used to the space.
I'm glad this was covered, and enjoy al the comments/input, but still thank Kirsten as well as her team for finding interesting homes to discuss and analyze as options.
Subtitles would be good with this vid, and while I appreciate that your kids don't dominate vids anymore - they still throw the volume by shouting (especially if one is using earbuds or trying not to disturb others they live with); perhaps modulating the volume lower in those segments would remove tthat jarring problem.
People tend to forget these houses were designed in 1977. Yet judging by the comments they're still to modern for most.
mipmipmipmipmip you clearly know nothing about design or the different recognized styles.
I don't think they are modern looking. They just look horrible. Like someone on a bad acid trip or meth.
maybe the designer did a bad job since he forgot furniture and solutions for the modern form. I Tokyo they had this tiny cubes (also not working) that provided at least everything needed in an integrated furniture. Here you only ged contorted walls and have to find solutions yourself. poor job.
I looked into those houses a bit more, and apparently there were originally supposed to be several blocks of these, all built for the private housing sector. But as they were building the first block, they realised that noone wanted to buy them. So they proposed them as office spaces, noone wanted them either. So in the end they made them into council housing - hence the half-way home - and never built the other planned blocks. Quite the failure.
@@lsamoa i wouldn't want to live there
These are definitely cool, but my stomach could not handle the distortion. It's slightly dizzying haha
Great Video as always!
Quirky and delightful!
They are cool!!
With all of the excellent angles... this architecture was made to have solar panels put on it. Very cool.
I've been obsessed with this project since seeing it as a kid here in Canada on Beyond 2000 on the Discovery Channel but this is way more in depth coverage than even ABC/BBC gave it...
I love it. I would feel so at home in one of those.
The view of the houses reminds me of mountain peaks at the top. Pretty cool!
i was once in one of those cubes. it's really not that bad. It's something else in a good way. It's also super space efficient, in stead of having just a big road dividing the city you have an agreable place to walk through and above that people are living closely together. really peacefull place in the city center, it looks maybe 'municipal' but those buildings are half a century old, no wonder it's not what you'd expect from todays standards/point of view. if i could i'd live in one of these trees !
this is so cool.
1 question though: WHY?
Tourism
Why not, if we where not so openminded we were all death now because we live 6m below seaevel
Woww amazing!
Cool Idea
Very interesting design.
this is Freaking Awesome!
I live one town over and we visited these houses in highschool. I love Rotterdam!
I love it...
Rotterdam...such an interesting city. :)
I love how everyone in the video is both impressed by the architecture and in total agreement that the structures are impractical. No wall space, don't open the windows too much, everyone can see in.... :D
I would like to do a survey, How many times have they hit their head in the walls. lol
(rare... not for me...)
Wonderful
This video mind blowing I would say these are cool art pieces but not a functional home it'd be great for a hotel. I'm really impressed with the camera guy holding the camera straight in that home must have been a challenge.
It's almost like we are not ready to live like this. It's too futuristic and bold. But it's pretty fantastic. I went to have a look at these. On the same trip I saw the rietveld house..and these explore similar subversion to conventional living.
I wonder how did they remove the air bubbles from the radiators. :)
They tilted the whole building so that each single radiator was perpendicular while filling it with water. ;-)
if you look at the sectional, these radiators are curved on the top, and valve is in line with the radius of the top portion, so there are no bubbles. Only the outer housing looks square.
Pause at 2:54 4:22 8:20 8:39 8:50 etc. You will discover a small added breathing pipette at the top of the right outer side of each tilted panel. (The regular vertical ones don't have.) :)
Art construction 👍houses/buildings
I'd live there in a heartbeat. It is sad not many people do innovative concepts like these anymore
I love the idea but Imm dizzy
That's so cool!
I hate it inside😂 but I'd love passing it every day❤
It looks more like a fun house than a cost effective family dwelling place. So it would be fun to live there for a while like a hotel or motel or temporary housing facility. I can see that it's not really cost-effective as a home, or is it? What do you think?
awesome, i want to live in !!!!
These angle makes me anxious but the top is really nice the type of ceiling that's " rounded" with windows all around is cool
In het echt zijn ze veel ruimer als op de video overkomt. Het lijkt erop dat je duizelig word maar dat is niet zo, binnen is alles normaal maar van buiten krijg je een raar gevoel als je naar boven kijkt. Vergeet niet dat het om een vraag ging om een veilige oversteekplaats voor voetgangers te maken omdat daar toen heel veel vrachtverkeer reed. De Blaak was toen een hele belangrijke weg richting de Willemsbrug om naar de Kop van Zuid te komen waar veel overslagbedrijven waren. Je kan bij een bedrijf op maat gemaakte meubels kopen zodat je optimaal gebruik maakt van de ruimte maar dat vraagt om wat creatief zijn. Het is echt waard om ze is te bezoeken als je als tourist hier een keer komt. I love them.
Back in the 1980s when I attended Gradeschool, there was this little newsprint magazine we were given with unusual news in it. These houses had an article that mentioned that they were built on polluted, abandoned, unsuitable plots of land between highway overpasses. True, or untrue, I never knew.
this is one trippy house
My hometown!
I wonder how many owners maintained the interior as-is, and how many changed the angles inside into a more organic form? Interesting!
I like it. I would get some wood and build custom shelves and drawers that fit the slanted walls to maximize storage space. Plus, I'd have bean bag chairs EVERYWHERE. How cute is Mitch, btw?
I have driven past this like every week for the last 3 years and all we tought was some stoned dutch architect being like THIS IS IT! :p looks nice from the outisde but i would never want to live here tbh.. thanks for shooting this i really wanted to see how the inside looked ever since ive driven past this :D
Love it. You must have to be in shape to go up and down those stairs all day they're steep lol
Definitely more interesting from the outside than the inside. I get a bit sea sick looking at this with the lack of straight angles.
very artful..not for me re: living inside one but fun to see the interior..and the outdoor views of the property are refereshing to look at..makes what would commonly be a cold-appearing automobile thoroughfare environment actually comforting too see.
I mean how can you have a slanted wall and NOT make stairs on it????
I like it. The Dutch are so cool.
Crazy idea.
We assign to design a cube which is 12×12×12 meter in size rested on its corner, requirement is same as bungalow so any help.
My nightmare; a bedroom with a skylight instead of a window.
I kind of love it! The fact they got permission to build this is beyond my understanding but I find it fascinating in a way :-)
Post-war Rotterdam was(is) a great place for all kinds of modern architecture and experimentation.
yeah, I think it's great that there's space for experimentation. Like the new Markthal in Rotterdam, some hate it, others love it. Regardless, it's a good representation of the spirit and humour of the Dutch :-)
I think the camera work on this video makes it more confusing. Other videos on these homes show it has a-line ceilings but on both floors.
Cool! Very different! Not restful peaceful looking.
so interesting
Love it 😘 like a cat in the hat cubby house 😻
It's different I'll give you that! I'm all for it if it helps keep city people in the city (vs space constraints).
Very exciting place to explore! But I do wonder if I'll get motion sickness. Haha...