The building cost 20 million marks, not including the property and interest on loans. Mr. Wachendorff imagined that many people would be thrilled by the idea of living in a work of art. And they were. Renting the units would have been no problem, but selling them was a different story. Old people often buy apartments to fit their furniture, and this was an obvious problem there.
Many walls curve around edges or slope from the ceiling to floor.
Many of those who have the money to buy would rather live in an understated home. The Tarlatts couldn't have afforded their home if they had wanted to buy years earlier, they said. Mr. Wachendorff also wanted those who moved in to subscribe to Hundertwasser's philosophies. He was disappointed to find that some people saw the apartments only as investments. He oversaw every step of the way, and accompanied the artist on all his visits.