Cube houses, are a set of innovative houses built in Rotterdam and Helmond in the Netherlands, designed by architect Piet

Bloom and based on the concept of "living as an urban roof ": high density housing with sufficient space on the ground level. Bloom tilted the cube of a conventional house 45 degrees, and rested it upon a hexagon -shaped pylon. His design represents a village within a city, where each house represents a tree and all the houses together, a forest. Dutch practice Personal Architecture has transformed part of the iconic Cube Houses complex in Rotterdam into a design -led home for young convicts in their final stages of rehabilitation. Aptly dubbed the Super Cube, the newly redesigned space takes over one of the larger cubic constellations on site, containing a reception, shop and archive on the ground floor, residential units on the intermediate levels and common areas at the very top. Rotterdams Kubuswoningen (or Cube Houses) are among the citys most instantly recognisable landmarks. The visionary housing development includes flats and commercial spaces. A show -flat is open to tourists on an architectural pilgrimage, while a renovation of the public spaces in 2011 provided a much-needed facelift for the complex. The Super Cubes twenty -one rooms were restructured into a single design scheme spanning 1200

sq m, with careful respectful to the original interior. The different volumes are linked via a bright and open multifunctional central area. At the heart of the space is an open shaft that connects all the floors visually. The void highlights the transparency and coherence of the building and adds a great deal of sunlight from the top to the levels underneath, say the architects. This also plays a part in the buildings thermal regulation by creating a chimney effect, which helps the air circulate and push warmth upwards. Bleak forest contains 38 cubic houses, several shops and three large cubes situated on a pedestrian bridge over the Bleak. Bloom tilted the cube of a conventional house 45 degrees, and rested it upon a hexagon -shaped pylon. The cubes are tilted and sit on hexagon -shaped pole structures. The cubes contain the living areas, which are split into three levels. The triangle -shaped lower level contains the living area. The windows on this level open onto the environment below due to the slope of the tilted cube. The middle level contains the sleeping area and a bathroom, while the top level, also in a triangular shape, is used as either an extra bedroom or a living space. The top level provides a great view since the apex of the room is a three sided pyramid with windows all around.

In 1977 Piet Bloom got an assignment to study the area around the Old Port, which lay fallow since World War II. The development plan called for a high density urban living combined with other functions. The architecture had to be playful and was intended for the less well off. In the late seventies the progressive city council, installed 1974, gave

priority to social housing and the revitalization of downtown. The Amsterdam Provo architect Piet Bloom (1934-1999) worked for years on the Living as urban roof plan. . It is living in high density on a high level, so the ground remains available for various urban activities. Bloom previously realized the Kasbah Hengelo (1973) and several cube houses and a theatre in Helmond (1976). Bloom thought that a plan for the Old Port was viable only if a pedestrian bridge over the busy Bleak Street would be build, so this area would be linked to the market and the library. The bridge would be like a Ponte Vecchioand enlivened by houses and shops. The cube houses form a canopy over the pedestrian bridge. The first pole was driven in the ground, the client withdrew. In an amended plan of the original 55, only 38 cube houses were realized. To compensate, a residential tower was built, called the Pencil. Later Bloom also designed the buildings around the Old Port, a social housing estate with 250 houses combined with cafes and restaurants along the quay. The whole was realized in a high density and Mediterranean forms.

The cube houses, also called tree or pole house, consists of a tilted wooden cube with a point on a concrete hexagonal core. In this core the entrance and the stairwell are located. The cube has three levels: the street house with kitchen and living room, the heavenly house with

the bedrooms and the leaf hut at the top. The core walls are the only vertical walls youll find, the rest of the walls are slanted. The area around the Old Port, partly due to the excellent orientation to the sun, has become a popular entertainment centre for tourists and students. Despite this rush, this has not led to much liveliness and activity in the public space underneath the cube dwellings. The small shops were impractical. They were soon replaced by workshops and small businesses that do not have to rely on visitors. A resounding success is the Museum Cube House, a cube as a museum house attracts many tourists. . The houses were renovated in the late nineties, including the public space. In particular, the replacement of the asphalt shingles on the roofs by a zinc roof has changed its appearance. For the two large cubes it proved hard to find a destination. The Academy of Architecture took residence in one cube in 1985. After the departure of the Academy and a few years of vacancy a perfect new destination was found in 2009: a hostel Stayokay. There are 49 rooms with 250 beds and private bathrooms. In the central atrium, with lift, a landmark interior cube is hung. The interior is designed by Personal Architecture in collaboration with Keeps van Lemon. Structurally, the cubes sit tilted on a hexagonal pole. They are made up of concrete floors, concrete pillars and wooden framing. Inside, the houses are divided into three levels accessed via a narrow staircase. The lower level is a triangular area used as the living room. The middle level houses the sleeping and bathing area, and the highest level is a spare area used either as a second bedroom or another living area. Completing the tilted design, the walls and windows are all angled at 54.7 degrees, providing excellent views of the surrounding area. The only drawback aside from claustrophobia is that despite a total area of 100 square meters, the angled structure means only a quarter of that space Is actually usable

Aside from the uniqueness of the asymmetrical design, the cubic houses are meant to represent an abstract forest. According to Bloom, the triangular top of each individual house is supposed to represent an abstract tree, which, when connected with its neighbour, becomes a sea of trees in a yellow, manufactured forest. There are 38 small cubes and two so called super-cubes, all attached to each other. As residents are disturbed so often by curious passers-by, one owner decided to open a show cube, which is furnished as a normal house, and is making a living out of offering tours to visitors. The houses contain three floors: Ground floor entrance First floor with living room and open kitchen Second floor with two bedrooms and bathroom Top floor which is sometimes used as a small garden The walls and windows are angled at 54.7 degrees. The total area of the apartment is around 100 square meters, but around a quarter of the space is unusable because of the walls that are under the angled ceilings. In 2009, the larger cubes were converted by Personal Architecture into a hostel run by Dutch hostel chain Stayokay.