Less UFO (unidentified flying object) than an IPO (identified prefab object), Futuro is like finding yesterday’s houses of tomorrow. Striking design. Portable. Prefab. Although not quite eco friendly, we wish that some aspiring prefab enthusiast would take the Futuro and develop it into a practical alternative.
And there is interest, as the latest auction on June 2, 2009 at Wright proved. The Futuro house went for $50,000.
What about offering you this ‘hotel room’ for your next escape/retreat or even honeymoon? We actually located one which you can rent, they call it PodUpNorth. Only 98 Futuro’s ever built since it’s introduction in 1968 when it was designed as a modern ski cabin in Janakkala in central Finland.
The circular house, 11 feet high and 26 feet across, was designed by Matti Suuronen, a Finnish architect, in 1968. A hatch door in its lower half opened down to reveal steps, like the door of a small airplane, and led into a room outfitted with six plastic bed-chair combinations and a central fireplace slab, as well as a kitchenette and a bathroom.
Futuros have been spotted all over the world. From Dombai Russia, Raglan New Zealand, Munson Texas to Taiwan and there used to be at least one Futuro in Africa. See more images on our Been-Seen Flickr .
HL
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