Hundertwasser

Housing Complex "In the Meadows"

Bad Soden, Taunus

1990-1993

Hunderwasser's architekture seemed ideal for a building which would be harmoniously adapted to the environs and nature. In the heart of the city, between Wilhelmspark and "Springs Park", the building complex designed by Hundertwasser and planned by Peter Pelikan was realised, with the surrounding buildings also integrated and refurbished, among them a house under protection as an historic monument, built in 1722, the first Soden spa hall, called Haus Bockenheimer.

In order to secure the difficult construction grounds without encroaching on the groundwater currents in the protected area of the source of the mineral spring, 250 concrete columns had to be sunk up to 15 m deep to serve as supportive elements. With 25,000 cubic meters of structured space, the complex is about as large as the Hundertwasser House in Vienna. Like the Viennese project, the complex in Bad Soden was brick-built with concrete ceilings. Five stairwells lead to the apartments situated on nine levels. The apartments, some of which take up several storeys, are designed as "houses within the house". They have individual ground plans, and every dwelling area has terraces with greenery or roof gardens. The arrangement of the various units of the building, their varying heights and forms, make the complex resemble a fortress.