The Hügelhaus was built by the Volkswagen Foundation as a combined residential and guest house for scientists and guest lecturers of the Munich's research institutes.

For that purpose, architect Walter Ebert designed a two-part, eight-story terrace building which tapers towards the top. The 59 residential units have been staggered in steps, always creating one terrace per apartment on the roof of the apartment below. The parapets are formed by concrete plant shells that interlock with the house structure. Just like the exposed concrete façade of the building, they feature the horizontal grain of the wooden cladding. The plant shells are also repeated in the design of the exterior. 

The Hügelhaus was built with internally insulated exposed concrete bulkhead construction and wood-aluminum framed insulating-glazed windows.