Piet Blom: Creating a Society

Founder: I Am An Architect

“Architecture is more than creating a place to live,” stated Piet Blom, “you create a society.” Characterized by his use of lively colors and expressive geometries, project’s such as the “Kasbah” and the cube houses in Rotterdam stand as testaments to his belief that architecture serves the people, not the other way around. Piet Blom (February 8, 1934, Amsterdam – June 8, 1999, Denmark) was a Dutch architect best known for his ´Kubuswoningen´ (Cube houses) built in Helmond in the mid-1970s and in Rotterdam in the early 1980s. After destruction of the Oude Haven during the Second World War, Piet Blom was asked to redevelop the area. Blom strived to dissolve the attitude that “a building has to be recognizable as a house for it to qualify as housing.” Piet Blom grew up in ‘de Jordaan’, a working class district where life takes place on the streets. In ‘de Jordaan’ Blom developed his perception on work and living. After having completed a carpenter and draughtsman education, he studied architecture at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture. He was the Prix de Rome recipient in 1962.