Friedensreich Hundertwasser designed the magnificent and spellbinding Hundertwasserhaus House in Vienna. It was opened to the public in 1986 and ever since attracted considerable amount of interest. This structure has the oldest and the most fascinating brickwork and a unique combination of bricks with mortar and other natural elements.
The "tree tenants" are an intriguing part of the structure. A fascinating sight is the co-existence of nature with man-made structures in harmony. There are almost 250 trees in the structure. The trees growing from the ground has amazingly intertwined with the trees that have grown from the top stories. The different flowers and shrubs on the exterior have blended well with the color of the building. Every individual apartment is outlined with red, blue, yellow and white colors.
When light falls on the mosaic tiles, it disperses at incongruous angles in several directions. The fast running water from the fountain produces a mind blowing natural melody. Hundertwasserhaus is owned by the city of Vienna. Leopold Gratz, the then mayor of the city offered a plot of land to Hundertwasser to build a structure he had envisioned, a house with trees and grass. Another architect by the name of Peter Pelikan, assisted Hundertwasser at a latter stage.
The construction of Hundertwasserhaus began on August 13, 1983. The date of completion was Oct. 15, 1986. The total cost incurred behind this structure was 7,122,000 Euro (1986 value). The inaugural celebration went on for 2 days to accommodate 70,000 people who wished to see and be inside this building.
On March 1, 1986, the building got its first tenant. 52 units of this building are used for residential purpose. The 200 residents of this building occupy 3,556 square meters. Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna was built entirely by 2,800 metric tons of brick. There is no concrete skeleton structure in the interior. This reinforces the organic nature of the project.
There are 2 kids room, 1 cafe and a "wintergarten" in Hundertwasserhaus. There are many shops right across the building. Tourists can buy postcards bearing the image of this building and also buy t-shirts and other things. Vienna Hundertwasserhaus is one of the most popular and important Vienna attractions.
