At the crossroads between Friedberger Straße and Büdinger Straße, you'll find the amazing Hundertwasser Building, one of the most visually stimulating structures in the world. A twelve-storey apartment and commercial complex, the "Waldspirale" ("Forest Spiral") was built in Darmstadt between 1998 and 2000 by the late Friedensreich Hundertwasser - a man whose chosen motto was "Gegen die gerade linie" - or "Against the Straight Line" .
The Austrian architect and painter is widely renowned for his eccentril designs which incorporate irregular, organic forms such as the Waldspirale's onion-shaped domes.
ECHOING THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE.
Natural features of the landscape are echoed in the twelve-storey structure; the layers of sedimental rock found underneath the site being reflected on the facade in bands of ceramic tiles and coloured stucco.
The Waldspirale houses one hundred and five apartments which encircle a landscaped courtyard with a running stream. The roof of the complex is formed by a garden of beech, maple, and lime trees.
The turret at the southeast corner is the location for a popular restaurant and cocktail bar.
Hundertwasser died in February 2000, a few months before the building was completed......
PICS: Dept. of Economy & Urban Development / hans s / Heidas
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