Hundertwasser, the Austrian philosopher, artist and architect has been an inspiration for people interested in green roofs in world. Hundertwasser believed, like Le Corbusierm, that what one took from the land should be replace at roof level when buildings are built.
These two projects in Austria are classice examples of his work. The Hundertwasser House in Vienna is the third most visited place in Vienna by tourists. In the main most of his buildings use intensive green roofs, with trees and grass and shrubs. However the roof at Bad Blumenthal Spa {link to the site} includes quite substantial areas of extensive green roofs.
What is great about the roofs on his buildings is that they ar
e naturalistic. The lack of high end design means that developments like Bad Blumenthal blend into the surrounding countryside, providing not only a natural visual delight but a real, integral and ecological connection to the surrounding landscape. All too often designers assert their design ideas on urban developments with little regard for the locality. Hundertwasser appears never to have had that kind of design arrogance when considering green roofs landscapes he wished to replicate.
He merely replaced what would have been lost.
An inspiring person. And all his roofs are there to inspire the designers, ecologists and green professionals of today and the future.
photos courtesy and copyright of Edmund Maurer
