Although the construction of the complex of "Cubic houses" by Pete Blom was completed in 1984, not all buildings of the geometric "mini-village" have found their application since then. A string of cubes resembling giant dice, according to the architect's plan, were placed on an edge and erected on powerful supports, rising high above the street level. As a result, it turned out to be a real forest in the center of the city: cubic crowns on trunks-piles stretched towards the sky.
But the utopian project, designed for a person's life in a space where there is not a single vertical line, has not gained popularity. Bloom in the 1970s dreamed of how his amazing complex would become a vibrant community center, but, unfortunately, the task was not so simple. And if people have been living in 38 small "cubes" since 1984, and one of these "houses" was recently opened for inspection by tourists in order to save them from their curiosity
the rest of the residents of the remaining buildings, the two large "supercubes" flanking the entire chain were often empty. The problem, of course, was not the price of renting premises in this attraction of Rotterdam: firstly, the cubic volume was placed too high above the ground, where it was necessary to climb the stairs hidden in the concrete "trunk", and secondly, the floor division was non-functional thirdly, the most spacious, middle tier was very poorly lit.
By 2009, architects Sander van Schaik and Maarten Polkamp of Personal Architecture turned one of the "supercubes" into the trendy Stayokay hostel. Based on this experience, they embarked on the reconstruction of a second building of the same kind: it was decided to accommodate prisoners whose prison term ends: a change of environment (from prison to a "regular" apartment) would prepare them for a return to normal life. In addition, they needed a socialization process and the opportunity to work.
In June 2013, the first group of 21 people moved from a Rotterdam prison to Pete Blom's refurbished Supercube, funded by the Exodus Foundation, which rehabilitates ex-prisoners, and the Dutch Minister of Security and Justice attended the grand opening.
The building, now occupied by prisoners, was previously little used: in the 1990s, a store did not work on the upper floor for a short time, later guards sometimes spent the night here. The architects who were engaged in the reconstruction of the building were faced with the problem of natural lighting of the space. Therefore, in the original Blom structure, which was not supposed to have verticals, a light shaft was arranged in its very core - square in plan (3 mx 3 m). It provides illumination to the lower and middle sections of the cube building, ending at the level of the upper tier, where the meeting space is located, and at the very top, under the roof, is the seating area. In addition, the shaft provides natural ventilation of the premises. In the lower part of the cube there is an entrance area with a gatekeeper's counter and administrative offices. The kitchen and bathrooms are adjacent to the walls of the mine.
It is strange to understand that a landmark of Rotterdam, which has already entered the history of architecture, suddenly became a "colony-settlement", albeit a very humane one. And yet it must be admitted that the "forest of cubes" from the very beginning was a utopian idea. Its role as the new Rialto Bridge or Ponte Vecchio, through which one could cross the street, passing through the "arcade" with shops, never came true: the stairs leading up were too steep, so the townspeople preferred to cross the roadway at ground level. Of course, the empty buildings could be used exclusively for excursions, like a museum - thereby "pushing" them into history, but Pete Blom, who died in 1999, saw great social potential in his project, and it would be a pity to leave the architect's dreams completely unfulfilled.
However, it is known that the surrounding space greatly affects the emotional state of a person. It is difficult to say whether the prisoners, often people with undermined psyche, will be able to feel comfortable inside their new cubic house, where most of the walls are inclined at an angle of 45 °, or for them such a life will look like psychological torture. Travelers who have stayed at Stayokay Hostel, set in the same "supercube", often describe their experience like this: "Interesting, but inconvenient!" Therefore, it is good that the "guests" - the prisoners, as well as the guests of the hostel, are allowed to go out into the street.
