Round houses of Bolvoningen — how the strangest housing in Europe appeared

If you live in "Khrushchev" and suffer from its imperfections, know that somewhere in the prosperous Netherlands, in the city of Hertogenbosch, people literally do not have a "corner" at home. In 1984, 50 spherical buildings were built there, designed by architect Dries Kreikamp. They were supposed to be a revolutionary rethinking of the concept of mobile housing. But now these are not very popular residential areas, interesting except for tourists.

This strange quarter is located in the Bolvoningen district, in the city of Hertogenbosch in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It was there that Dries Kreikamp was given the go-ahead to implement his mobile housing project. Before the architect began to realize his idea, he had to win a serious competition. His rivals were young and promising engineers and designers from different parts of the Netherlands.

Hertogenbosch pleases the eye with its ancient architecture and glorious history. It was here that the medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch, famous for his apocalyptic images, was born. Probably, the artist could depict houses in Bolvoningen on one of his immortal masterpieces. They would be an excellent tool for torturing sinners in the hands of the Prince of Darkness and his henchmen. Alas, it is. It is painful for people suffering from claustrophobia and simply preferring space and comfort in these areas.

Kreikamp's offspring are spheres made of concrete with a diameter of 5.5 meters, insulated with polymer materials. Each ball is mounted on a leg, which houses the entrance, storage room and stairs to the living quarters. The first floor of the sphere is occupied by a bedroom, and on the second floor there is a small living room.

The bath and toilet are located in the very center of the building. Also in the houses there is a small kitchen with everything you need. Near each house there is a small courtyard, as well as a parking place for a car. Heating in each building is individual, so small chimneys rise above the spheres.

In a small house there are as many as eleven porthole windows that provide housing with natural light. They also offer an almost panoramic view from the living room to all sides of the world. This is not bad, since Bolvoningen is a beautiful, green—saturated area.

Sphere houses were calculated as housing for 1-2 people. If necessary, each building can be quickly disassembled using a car crane, transported to a new location and reassembled. However, Bolvoningen's houses never left the place chosen for their construction.

Now let's move on to the moments that make spherical houses extremely unpopular. There are very few smooth walls in these buildings and they are all located in the center of the sphere.  The arrangement of any standard furniture becomes a real puzzle for the inhabitants of the quarter. It's hard to even find a place for a medium-sized TV.

It's a little cramped inside the houses, even for a couple of unassuming tenants. Such a concept as "personal space" for people living in Kreikamp houses becomes abstract. Also, many people are annoyed by the fact that the buildings are located very close to each other. Therefore, from their spherical windows you can see not only the beauty of the abundantly landscaped quarter, but also what is happening in the neighboring sphere.

Despite this, there are still people who want to live in houses that are jokingly called "golf balls". These are single people and young couples who dreamed of a separate and inexpensive living space. As for Dries Kreikamp, he was not confused by the dubious result of the project. He continues to promote the concept of spherical buildings. Now the architect is working on the creation of spherical floating houses.

Unusual houses without corners are being built all over the world. At the same time, not all of them suffer the unenviable fate of Kreikamp's offspring. Among them there are very popular and expensive projects.