The Futuro House

The Futuro House was conceived by Matti Suuronen in 1968 as a "portable" ski chalet. It is an iconic piece of architecture and this site is devoted to documenting the history of the Futuro and the current status and whereabouts of the remaining examples.





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Location Information

Futuro House Poytya - Marko Home - Date Unknown



Info, History, Photos


Update 020822

The website Middle Of Nowhere has information about Enkelipuisto (Angel Park) and its owner and creator folk artist Kyösti Iitti and they include some marvelous photos of Kyösti's art and also of his Futuro.

They also shot some great video and drone footage at Pöytyä in November 2021 which can be seen below; the footage brings back some fond memories of our own visit with Kyösti back in 2014.


Update 042220

Though this video was posted to Youtube by Maaseudun Tulevaisuus way back in 2016 we did not come across it until very recently.

The video is titled simply "Enkelipuisto" and features some great footage of this Futuro and owner Kyösti's fabulous campus dotted with his awesome folk art. For us seeing this video brought back fond memories of our 2014 visit with Kyösti and his family.


Update 010717

This video titled "Enkelipuisto ja UFO talo vierailuni" which, at least according to Google, translates to "The angel of the park and the UFO house visit" was posted to Youtube by Harri Kaunisto 100916.

The video includes footage of this Futuro appearing at 0:32, 0:59, 1:48, 2:05 and 2:47 (the last is footage of the interior of the Futuro) along with some nice video of some of owner Kyösti's awesome metal sculptures. For us this was a nice reminder of our visit to Pöytyä back in 2014.


Update 062516

We recently came across a couple of interesting photos posted to Instagram by oudosti (oudosti's original images can be found here and here). The photos were taken during shooting of the video for the track "Ghosts Of The Old Planet" from the "Ghost Station" album by band Possible Space.

While not unusual the photos do highlight a couple of interesting changes that have been made to the Futuro.

The first of oudosti's photos, the first exterior shot, shows a change to the structure on the top of the Futuro. When we met with owner Kyösti Iitti; during our 2014 visit to Pöytyä he explained that he uses both solar and wind power on his property to generate electricity. The "vane" like structure seen on top of the Futuro in all of the previous photos we have seen leverages wind power.

In oudosti's photo we see what appears to be a solar panel on top of the Futuro. Contrast this with the second photo taken during our 2014 visit to the Futuro. Though difficult to tell it looks like the solar panel is mounted in front of the existing "vane" structure. Perhaps Kyösti uses solar or wind depending on the time of year or perhaps now both are being generated from atop the Futuro

The third and fourth photos suggests that Kyösti has completed some restoration work on his Futuro in the last 18 months or so. Compare the appearance of the interior in oudosti's photo from November 2015 (third photo) with that on the right taken during our 2014 visit to Pöytyä (last photo). A clear upgrade!

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - November 2015 - oudosti - Exterior Shot

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - TheFuturoHouse July 2014 Visit To Poytya - Compare To oudosti Exterior Shot

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - November 2015 - oudosti - Interior Shot

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - TheFuturoHouse July 2014 Visit To Poytya - Compare To oudosti Interior Shot

Update 021516

This video for the track "Ghosts Of The Old Planet" from the "Ghost Station" album by band Possible Space features the Pöytyä Futuro several times. The video can be found on the band's Facebook page or on Youtube and the album can be obtained here.


Update 011715

A little while ago Kyösti unearthed some old VHS footage from 1994. The photos below are from this footage. Hopefully at some point the footage can be digitized and brought to these pages but for now our thanks to Vesa for snapping these photos as the footage was being viewed and sending them to us. A few questions arise from this footage and hopefully in due course they can be answered.

The first three shots show the Futuro prior to the move to Pöytyä. The location does not appear to be the Mynämotel (Motel of Mynämäki), at least based on a comparison against recent Google Street View imagery, and the thought is that the Futuro was initially moved, in an assembled state, to a warehouse yard before being disassembled for the trip to Pöytyä. The name Boris Mikojan can be seen on the Futuro and it seems likely that the Futuro was either owned by Mikojan or possibly used by the artist as a workshop. We are hoping that in due course Kyösti will be able to clarify.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 1

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 2

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 3

This next series of shots show sections of the Futuro after they had arrived at Pöytyä. The first shot clearly shows several sections at the entry to Enkelipuisto; presumably this is where they were unloaded from the truck that transported them to Pöytyä. Other shots show that the means of moving the sections was a combination of "man power" and "tractor power". It also looks like snow might have helped as we see sections of the Futuro being towed across the ground; without the snow we have to imagine this would have damaged them.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 4

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 5

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Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 8

The support structure and its construction are rather interesting. It appears that Kyösti built the support structure with the legs and stairway being "hinged" in some way. This series of shots shows the fully constructed support structure without the Futuro. Later shots show the Futuro being assembled on the support structure down at ground level with the legs "splayed out" and this suggests the structure was built and then lowered by moving the legs out; the Futuro was then assembled and finally the combined structure was raised to its final installed height.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 9

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 10

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The remaining shots show the Futuro in various stages of assembly. You can clearly see in several shots the way the legs have been spread to allow the Futuro to be assembled on the support structure at ground level; almost as if the support structure were constructed in a manner similar to the way a tripod functions.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 15

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 16

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Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 27

The last two shots show the Futuro, still at ground level, in a fully assembled state. The legs and stairway can clearly be seen in a "spread" state and the assumption is that as the whole structure were raised they would naturally fall into the correct alignment and then be fixed in their final positions. Kind of awesome engineering by Kyösti.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 28

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1994 VHS Footage Photos - 29

Update 010115

Back in September when we added information and photos from our visit to Pöytyä this past summer we ended by noting that we had been so engrossed in the visit that we had forgotten altogether to ask a number of questions we had planned on asking.

In recent email correspondence we were finally able to ask some of these questions and the answers are below "interview style". Of course since then we have thought of many more questions we could have asked; those will have to wait until another time.

Our thanks to Kyösti for taking the time to answer our questions and to his son, Vesa, for acting as "middleman/translator".
One of the most interesting answers was the mention of Mynämäki. We have not come across any mention of a Futuro in Mynämäki before (another frenzy of Google and other searches is likely on the cards) so if anyone has any information (or even a photo) please let us know

Update 090714

Futuro House - Frisco North Carolina By RunderOn 071014 we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit the Pöytyä Futuro (our thanks to Marko who contacted Kyösti for us and arranged the visit). The primary purpose of the visit was to visit the Futuro but as it turned out the Futuro was just one of the highlights of a truly wonderful day.

The Pöytyä Futuro is perched high above a man made lake at Enkelipuisto, or Angel Park, the home of Kyösti Iitti but the Futuro is just one of the features of what can only be described as a fantastic and quite awe inspiring home. Kyösti and his wife Aino were gracious and welcoming hosts and Vesa, their son, took the time to come along for the day and translate as neither Kyösti nor Aino speak English and we want to thank them all for providing us with a really memorable day.

Mr. Futuro is not what you would describe as a "handyman"; Kyösti on the other hand is the ultimate "handyman". When the Iitti's purchased their land it was simply a plot of forest. Over the next several years the land was cleared of trees, which were used to build their home and other buildings, and the lake that lies at the heart of Enkelipuisto was painstakingly excavated and landscaped. The Futuro was mounted some 15 meters above the lake to afford not only great views of the land but also to provide a perch above the tree tops from which you can see for miles across the forest.

Kyösti assembled and raised the Futuro himself using hoists and pulleys and did not employ a contractor for this awesome feat of engineering. The "vane" atop the Futuro is used to generate electricity and with this, some smaller "windmills" mounted atop high poles (they can be seen in this photo) and solar panels the Iitti's have taken themselves off "the grid" and generate all their own power. The Futuro is, as far as we know, unique in the configuration of the windows; three lower windows rather than the usual two rows of two. The windows had actually been replaced (by Kyösti himself of course) just before our visit. The Futuro's shell is actually in very good condition but it does not feature the "Futuro" interior.

Kyösti also constructed a means of accessing the roof of the Futuro and from on top of the unit the views are stunning.

In addition to showcasing the Futuro Enkelipuisto is home to Kyösti's amazing collection of metal sculpture; each of the pieces has a story and these range from commemorating the tragic sinking of a ferry, through world events and politics to moving and personal family and spiritual related areas. Kyösti, with Vesa translating, enthusiastically guided us through his collection and explained the inspiration for each of his creations.

After touring the Futuro and Enkelipuisto Aino laid on a meal and we even got to experience a massage from Kyösti. Throughout you could not have asked for a more friendly and welcoming group of friends.

Enkelipuisto is not open to the public on any kind of regular basis but Kyösti loves to entertain visitors and show his collection so if you ever have the opportunity to arrange a visit we highly recommend that you do. For a look at Kyösti's collection of "folk art" check out this gallery of photographs taken during our visit.

There was one thing that went wrong during our visit to Pöytyä. We were so engrossed in the guided tour and the many wonders of Enkelipuisto that we completely forgot to ask all of the questions we had planned to ask about the Futuro. We are hoping to have some of those answers soon and will of course update this page as and when we do. In the meantime we took a ridiculous number of photos some of which are displayed below.

This first group of photos shows the Futuro from almost every angle, includes a few looks at the awesome property it is located on and ends with the obligatory "toursit photo"; in this case a shot of us with Kyösti.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 1

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 2

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 3

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 4

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 5

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Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 7

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Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 12

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Here are a few shots of the Futuros interior.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 33

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Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 35

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 36

These are shots from inside the Futuro looking out the windows over Kyösti's property.

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Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 38

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 39

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 40

And even higher - you can get onto the roof of the Futuro; these shots are from there.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 41

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 42

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 43

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Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 45

Finally the presence of the lake on the property provides the opportunity for some rather cool photos showing reflections of the Futuro.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 46

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 47

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 48

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Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 071014 - 51

Update 111512

An article that referenced the Luumäki Futuro (and therefore indirectly this Futuro since it is likely the Luumäki Futuro is now the one at Pöytyä) was published in a local Luumäki newspaper just last week (110812). Otto Myyrä was kind enough to send us a scan (see below - click the image for a pdf). Of course we cannot read the article (once we get hold of a translation we will post it here) but Otto tells us that while much of the article reflects the Joroisten Lehti article referenced below it does also add a little new information.

Specifically this article tells us that the Futuro was originally purchased directly from Polykem Oy in Strömfors (aka Ruotsinpyhtää) by Lauri and Taimi Huomo in the spring of 1970. The Futuro was shipped to Luumäki and then installed on site by Polykem personnel. The grand opening of the "UFO Bar" was 040270. In 1971 the Futuro was sold to a family called Stendahl in Joroinen; the Stendahl's however caught a case of "buyer's remorse" and the Futuro was quickly sold on to Marja and Raimo Mähönen. From this point on both articles relate the same history. Another small piece of the puzzle; thanks Otto.

Luumaki Journal - 110812

Update 102712

While researching the history of the Kauhava Futuro we came across an article on the website Joroisten Lehti. The article was in Finnish and while Google Translate gave it a go the translation was really not easy to understand. Thanks to Achim Breiling and an uncle who lives in Finland we were able to get a much more accurate translation of the article.

Accompanying the article was the photo shown below courtesy of Joroisten Lehti. What is significant about the photo is the windows; you will notice a row of three lower windows and not the typical two pairs seen on the majority of European Futuros. This is significant in that the only other Futuro having this configuration is the one at Pöytyä.

Futuro, Luumaki - Joroinen

Based on the improved translation and the evidence of the photo we believe we can piece together a pretty good idea of the history of this Futuro; the only other Futuro we know of with a row of three lower windows.

Futuro House - LuumakiThe article tells us that Marja and Raimo Mähönen had purchased the Futuro from a neighbor who in turn had acquired the Luumäki Futuro (see photo at left). Shortly after purchasing the Futuro the neighbor began to regret it and she offered the Futuro to Raimo who thought about it for a short while and then agreed. Raimo said it was expensive but that he immediately gained 40 additional seats for the coffee bar attached to the fuel station and that ultimately it turned out to be a worthwhile investment.

The Futuro was at the Union service station in Joroinen from 1971 until 1978; it was then used as a Sales Office by a pottery company, Kyyrälön Savi, for two summers before being purchased by a man who moved the Futuro to Järvenpää, were it served as the information office for a car shop.

The article does not take the history any further but there is some other evidence to help us. Kyösti Iitti purchased the Pöytyä Futuro from a company selling used cars in Pori in the early 90s. Now Pori is some 200 kilometers or so from Järvenpää but the Futuro was used by a car related business both in Pori and in Järvenpää; perhaps the company had more than one location. Alternatively the Futuro could have been sold and moved sometime during the 80's or early 90's. It does seem likely though that the Futuro originally from Luumäki is now the one at Pöytyä given the unique window configuration not seen on any other Futuros.

So, while we cannot be certain, based on the evidence it seems likely that the Futuro with the three lower windows started out in Luumäki and was then purchased by a lady in Joroinen. Shortly afterwards the Futuro was purchased by Marja and Raimo Mähönen and it served as a coffee bar at their service station in Joroinen from 1971 through 1978. The Futuro then served two years as a Sales Office for a pottery before being sold again and moved to Järvenpää where it served as information office for a car shop. Sometime between this sale and the early 90's the Futuro was relocated (perhaps sold and relocated or perhaps just moved to another location belonging to the same car company) to Pori. Finally in the early 90's Kyösti Iitti purchased the Futuro and moved it to its current location in Pöytyä.

Joroisten Lehti Article Translation | Thanks to Achim Breiling and his uncle.

Headline of the add: Fuel service all around the clock (which means 24 hours open)

Text below the photo in the add: Raimo Mähönen once filling station attendant, now autonomous entrepreneur has completely renovated his filling station. In the new coffee bar there are 58 seats, the sales room has been enlarged and the garage expanded. Filling pumps and bar work now as self service. "Here one should get along fine now" says Raimo. The eye-catching Futuro plastic house was used as coffee bar before the renovation.

Headline of the main text: Many still remember the Ufo-Cafe

Text: The Futuro plastic house (better known as UFO house) was used as coffee bar extension to the Union fuel station of Raimo and Marja Mähönen and was obtained from one of their neighbors (the daughter of the Stendahls). "She had bought the Futuro house of Luumäki, but afterwards she began to regret it and offered it to me. I promised to think it over for a night, then I bought it. It was expensive, but it was a good investment. We gained immediately 40 additional seats at the fuel station", remembers Raimo Mähönen. The Futuro was in Joroinen at the Street No. 5 from 1971-1978. Then it served for 2 summers as sales room for the company Kyyrälön Savi (pottery). Many people were interested in the UFO, but few wanted to buy it. "One day a man came in and asked for the price of the Futuro. He made an offer and got the money from the bank. He brought the Futuro to Järvenpää, were it served as information office for a car shop. As the Futuro is made of single components, it was easy to move." (says Mähönen) Due to the bad situation on the plastics world market, the production of the houses was finally stopped.


Update 082112

Thanks to some detective work by Timo Partanen the Pöytyä Futuro has been located at 60°45'1.23"N 22°27'45.90"E. The satellite imagery is not perfect but if you compare the placement of buildings visible in Google Maps with those visible in some of the photos it is clear that this is indeed the correct location. Also if you load up Google Earth and zoom right in while the imagery does become blurred you can actually just make out the pylon located on top of the Futuro.

Original Information 080512

Two of the most detailed references for Finnish Futuro's are: Both of these sources list four surviving Futuro's in Finland: In May 2012 a fifth Futuro was located in Finland and it is entirely appropriate that it was Marko Home who told us about it. He also sent us the first photo of this Futuro we had seen (location photo at the top of the page) and kindly allowed us to use the photo here on this page. The photo was originally posted by Marko to the WeeGee Futuro Facebook Page which can be found here.

The Futuro is located in Pöytyä, Finland. To date we have not been able to ascertain the precise location of the Futuro; satellite imagery for the area varies in quality in both Google Maps/Earth and Bing Maps and Wikipedia states that the municipality of Pöytyä covers just a little under 300 square miles so searching it out could take a while.

We, and Google Translate, have been having a tussle with translating Finnish to English so much so that at times we are not even sure that when we are looking for example for a name that we are actually ending up with a name. That being said as best we can determine the Futuro is owned by one Kyösti Iitti (Page in Finnish | Google Translate English here).

Kyösti Iitti is a Finnish Folk Artist and masseuse who exhibits his (wonderful in our opinion) work at Enkelipuisto, which we believe translates to Angel Park, somewhere around Pöytyä. There is also a blog entitled Enkelipuisto which features some marvelous photographs of the park and Kosti's work; those photos include two that show the Futuro (see below).

We recommend you take a look at the blog; we are very impressed by Kyösti Iitti's work and we think you will be too. For sure if we are ever close enough (which is to be honest doubtful) we will visit.

The most interesting feature of this Futuro is that it is raised above the ground; a staircase can be seen in the photos which allows access to the top of the Futuro where we assume you can get some great views of the park and the surrounding area. One of the photos below is taken from the top of the Futuro. We are not sure if visitors to the park have this access; if they do hopefully the roof of the Futuro is protected and/or strengthened in some way as it was clearly not designed or manufactured for that purpose.

There is also what appears to be some kind of a sculpture on top of the Futuro and a large communication antenna.

There are several references/records (a couple of which are listed below) that can be found to groups visiting Enkelipuisto/Angel Park, listing of times it is open to the public and so on but interestingly there is not any address or directions that we can find so if we were visiting Finland and wanted to visit Enkelipuisto/Angel Park we would have no idea where to go without calling to ask. These first two images are courtesy of the blog Enkelipuisto and can be found in posts here and here respectively.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 1

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 2

This next image is by JH and appeared on this webpage/blog (Dead - see pdf here). The group of people appearing in the photo includes Kyösti Iitti; the gentleman in the red hat (based on working with Google Translate, hopefully this is correct).

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 3

This last image is from a brochure we found here (PDF file in Finnish). To be honest we have no idea if it is copyrighted or where it came from originally so if this is your image and you would like it removed please let us know.

Futuro, Poytya, Finland - 4

Sources
In Books & Magazines
Latest Confirmation

Poytya - Latest Confirmation - 110323 - kaffejaanaThis photograph by kaffejaana taken 110323.

The original photograph can be seen on Instagram here.

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