Exterior Perspectives

This photo demonstrates the fundamental outdoor form. The gateway to the interior plaza is seen in the bottom left corner. (Ellis)

Here we can clearly see the extent that the greenery eventually reached. This photo is taken in 1996, in contrast with the initial photo from 1988. The orange ring visible around the window below the terrace represents a tenant exercising "window right", a favorite concept of Hundertwasser. (Lyon)

These crooked stairs reinforces the value Hundertwasser placed on avoiding rectilinear forms. Looking closer reveals that even the treads are asymmetric, bowing in the middle.

In context, the building's philosophy gains strength. The surroundings are largely devoid of greenery, save small plazas and trees on the street. The Hundertwasser Haus stands in contrast, camouflaged by the immense greenery on the roof. In the immediate vicinity are several other of Vienna's cultural artifacts: the Museum of Art Fakes, the Palais de Beaux Arts and the Danube Canal lie within a block of the house. A few blocks further lies the Kunst Haus Wien: a former factory now devoted to Hundertwasser's paintings, architecture and furniture.

In this drawing I have attempted to capture the discontinuous nature of the construction in both window style and materials, the wild lines and the architectural detailing to some degree. The construction is in fact largely of bricks with stucco, with the roof being made of concrete. (Verleg)