Friedenreich Hundertwasser

Sustainable cities , Sustainable gardens, Sustainable landscape architecture, Green building, Hundertwasser, Green roof planning, Solar panels, Landscaped Architecture, Walls and roofs,

Green building has been much discussed by building professionals but the resulting work has often been ugly, gimmicky or puerile. An artist and visionary, without any professional training, Friedenreich Hundertwasser made a brilliant contribution to the theory and practice of sustainable design. His work is of particular interest to landscape architects and garden designers.

Quotations from Hundertwasser:

'The true proportions in this world are the views to the stars and the views down to the surface of the earth. Grass and vegetation in the city should grow on all horizontal spaces - that is to say, wherever rain and snow falls vegetation should grow, on the roads and on the roofs. The horizontal is the domain of nature and wherever vegetation grows on the horizontal level man is off limits; he should not interfere. I mean taking away territories from nature, which human beings have always done.'

'I’ve worked a great deal with grass roofs, putting soil on top and having things grow, but there is something strange in this, more than ecological. It is a religious act to have soil on your roof and trees growing on top of you; the act reconciles you with God, with nature, maybe not Christian or Jewish monotheism, but something wider, older - a very ancient wisdom.'