At the end of the 1960s, a design appeared on the architectural scene that looked like a flying vehicle from another planet. Futuro was designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen and was intended to respond to the needs of a changing lifestyle. Its round shape resembling a flying saucer, an entrance inspired by an aircraft hatch, and synthetic materials made the house quickly gain popularity, standing out from traditional buildings. By the early 1970s, less than a hundred had been built, and today these structures are among the most sought-after design icons of that decade.
Futuro – a house ready for flight
Futuro was designed as a prefabricated structure with a diameter of eight metres and a height of four metres. The structure was made of fibreglass-reinforced polyester, polyurethane and transparent plexiglass elements. The whole structure consisted of 16 segments that were bolted together at the assembly site. This meant that the house could be transported by lorry, dismantled and reassembled in two days, and in extreme cases even moved in its entirety by helicopter. Four concrete supports were enough to set it up on almost any surface.
The birth of a futuristic vision
The project was created in post-war Finland, where economic development, fascination with space exploration and an increasing amount of free time fostered bold concepts. Matti Suuronen thought of Futuro as a ski lodge that could be quickly heated and set up in difficult terrain. Integrated insulation and electric heating allowed the interior temperature to be raised from bitter cold to a comfortable level in just half an hour. The architect’s intention was to create a model that could be mass-produced and used in almost any landscape.
Futuro’s global ambitions
In the early 1970s, Futuro was promoted as the first type of holiday home licensed in dozens of countries and mass-produced in the United States, Australia and Belgium, among others. Despite the media hype, public reactions were sometimes negative. In Finland, one of the first examples sparked protests from residents, who felt that the structure was too alien to the rural surroundings. In many American cities, the houses were subject to planning restrictions, and banks avoided financing them. There were also acts of vandalism, and some orders were cancelled, resulting in the loss of advance payments.
Why did Futuro disappear from the market?
The decisive blow came with the oil crisis of 1973. The production of plastics became rapidly more expensive, and public opinion began to perceive plastic as an environmental threat rather than a material of the future. As a result, the project was withdrawn from the market in the middle of the decade. It is estimated that around 60 Futuro houses have survived to this day, mostly in the private hands of collectors. Two are in museum collections in Rotterdam and Espoo.
The second life of Matti Suuronen’s capsule
Many owners used Futuro in ways that differed from its original purpose. The houses served as kiosks, bank branches, festival facilities and warehouses on go-kart tracks. In New Zealand, two units served as temporary bank branches during the 1974 Commonwealth Games. In the United States, the capsules often ended up in shopping centre car parks, where it was easier to legalise them as service facilities.
Futuro as an icon
Over the years, Futuro began to be seen as a valuable artefact of a bygone era. Conservation initiatives emerged, including detailed documentation of one of the first units prepared at a Finnish art college. Some of the houses underwent comprehensive renovations, restoring them to their original appearance. Others have deteriorated, sometimes due to microorganisms destroying the materials, other times as a result of fires, abandonment or demolition.
The legacy of a vision of the future
Futuro did not achieve the mass popularity its creator dreamed of, but it left a lasting mark on the history of architecture. Today, it is seen as a symbol of design courage and faith in technology that was supposed to change everyday life. The round fibreglass capsule continues to stimulate the imagination, gaining cult status after nearly 60 years.
Source: thefuturohouse.com, archdaily.com
See also: Architecture | Finland | Interesting facts | Plastic | History
