© Stephanie Glaser

These cool buildings are in Rotterdam. I came across them while I was updating a chapter on The Netherlands for a travel guide in 1995.  Known as “Kubuswoningen,” this neighborhood of cube houses, designed by Dutch architect Piet Blom, definitely are a tourist attraction.

Blom had both practical and symbolic intentions with his design. Most of the living space of these cube houses is above ground, which makes the layout attractive for a populated urban area. Also, Blom creatively envisioned the complex as a forest with each house as symbolizing a tree. Whatever the intent, the houses or Kubuswoningen grab your attention and make you think.

© Stephanie Glaser