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.
TheFuturoHouse.com | Latest Site News & Updates
Update 112212
All the Finland Futuro content has now been moved to dedicated pages for each Futuro. Links can be found below. There will be no further updates to this page - all updated material as and when posted will be added to the dedicated page for each Futuro.
Update 080212
Since we now have now more material related to the Futuros in Finland over the next several weeks the content for each Futuro will be updated and published to a dedicated page for each unit. Once all the pages are complete this page will be archived.
Original Information 110111
Considering the fact that the Futuro House originated in Finland there is a surprising lack of information and photographs relating to the four Futuros known to still exist in the country; so much so that we have not dedicated a page to each but have instead (at least until we can unearth more information) chosen to publish what information we do have on a single page.
Unless otherwise indicated the source for the information and images on this page is Anna-Maija Kuitunen's final thesis for the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland. During the course of researching and writing her thesis she interviewed the owners of the four remaining Futuros in Finland and those interviews provide much of the information available on the Finland Futuros as well as confirming their continued existence and approximate locations - there are no Google Maps or coordinates as location information available provides only an indication of the general regions within which the Futuros are located. Her thesis is freely available online here.
With Finland being the home of the Futuro we would really like to be able to expand on the information we have on this page and in particular add some photographs - if you have information or photographs we could use please let us know.
All the Finland Futuro content has now been moved to dedicated pages for each Futuro. Links can be found below. There will be no further updates to this page - all updated material as and when posted will be added to the dedicated page for each Futuro.
Update 080212
Since we now have now more material related to the Futuros in Finland over the next several weeks the content for each Futuro will be updated and published to a dedicated page for each unit. Once all the pages are complete this page will be archived.
Original Information 110111
Considering the fact that the Futuro House originated in Finland there is a surprising lack of information and photographs relating to the four Futuros known to still exist in the country; so much so that we have not dedicated a page to each but have instead (at least until we can unearth more information) chosen to publish what information we do have on a single page.
Unless otherwise indicated the source for the information and images on this page is Anna-Maija Kuitunen's final thesis for the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland. During the course of researching and writing her thesis she interviewed the owners of the four remaining Futuros in Finland and those interviews provide much of the information available on the Finland Futuros as well as confirming their continued existence and approximate locations - there are no Google Maps or coordinates as location information available provides only an indication of the general regions within which the Futuros are located. Her thesis is freely available online here.
With Finland being the home of the Futuro we would really like to be able to expand on the information we have on this page and in particular add some photographs - if you have information or photographs we could use please let us know.
Update 102012
As of 102012 content for the Åland Islands Futuro has been moved to its dedicated page. There is updated content on that page.
Original Information 110111
The Åland Islands Futuro has been privately owned and in constant use since 1971 for day trips and as a fishing hut; the unit has been painted brown to better fit in with its surroundings on a rocky island. In an interview on 040610 the current owner indicated that the Futuro is a good condition and that various repairs have been undertaken over the years to maintain its condition. A little more information can be found on svenska.yle.fi (the site is in Swedish but an english version courtesy of Google Translate can be found here).
As of 102012 content for the Åland Islands Futuro has been moved to its dedicated page. There is updated content on that page.
Original Information 110111
The Åland Islands Futuro has been privately owned and in constant use since 1971 for day trips and as a fishing hut; the unit has been painted brown to better fit in with its surroundings on a rocky island. In an interview on 040610 the current owner indicated that the Futuro is a good condition and that various repairs have been undertaken over the years to maintain its condition. A little more information can be found on svenska.yle.fi (the site is in Swedish but an english version courtesy of Google Translate can be found here).
Update 102112
As of 102112 content for the Kauhava Futuro has been moved to its dedicated page. There is updated content on that page.
Original Information 110111
The Futuro at Kauhava is owned by a private collector. The Futuro is reported to be in good condition and in an interview on 032910 the owner indicated that he had restored the Futuro himself; details of the process can be found in Anna-Maija Kuitunen's thesis.
In 2001 the Futuro was exhibited at the 7th International Istanbul Biennial where it was set in the gardens of the Ottoman Mint at the Topkapi Palace and the owner says that the Futuro has also been exhibited in the Helsinki metro area on several occasions. It has been reported that this Futuro earlier served as a "UFO Cafe" in Luumäki, Finland but the owner believes that the Luumäki Futuro was destroyed in a fire and that his Futuro was previously located in Kuhmoinen where it served as cafe to a motel before becoming a flower shop close to the Market Square in Kuhmoinen.
As of 102112 content for the Kauhava Futuro has been moved to its dedicated page. There is updated content on that page.
Original Information 110111
The Futuro at Kauhava is owned by a private collector. The Futuro is reported to be in good condition and in an interview on 032910 the owner indicated that he had restored the Futuro himself; details of the process can be found in Anna-Maija Kuitunen's thesis.
In 2001 the Futuro was exhibited at the 7th International Istanbul Biennial where it was set in the gardens of the Ottoman Mint at the Topkapi Palace and the owner says that the Futuro has also been exhibited in the Helsinki metro area on several occasions. It has been reported that this Futuro earlier served as a "UFO Cafe" in Luumäki, Finland but the owner believes that the Luumäki Futuro was destroyed in a fire and that his Futuro was previously located in Kuhmoinen where it served as cafe to a motel before becoming a flower shop close to the Market Square in Kuhmoinen.
Update 112212
As of 1112212 content for the Merimasku Futuro has been moved to its dedicated page. There is updated content on that page.
Original Information 110111
The current owner of the Merimasku Futuro has owned it for around 10 years. Prior to that there had been a series of owners dating back to the 1960's when the Futuro served as an office for the student union in Turku, Finland. The Futuro was on site when the current owner purchased the property and it was part of the larger purchase. Anna-Maija Kuitunen interviewed the owner 051710 and was told that while the house was in relatively good condition it was in need of some repair. The owner indicated that he was interested in restoring his Futuro someday.
As of 1112212 content for the Merimasku Futuro has been moved to its dedicated page. There is updated content on that page.
Original Information 110111
The current owner of the Merimasku Futuro has owned it for around 10 years. Prior to that there had been a series of owners dating back to the 1960's when the Futuro served as an office for the student union in Turku, Finland. The Futuro was on site when the current owner purchased the property and it was part of the larger purchase. Anna-Maija Kuitunen interviewed the owner 051710 and was told that while the house was in relatively good condition it was in need of some repair. The owner indicated that he was interested in restoring his Futuro someday.
Update 080212
As of 080212 content for the Futuro at the WeeGee Exhibition Center in Espoo has been moved to its dedicated page. There is updated content on that page.
Update 080112
One of the pages on the World Design Capital | Helsinki 2012 Website discusses the Futuro 2012 Program in Espoo. There are some great photos of the Futuro there taken during transport and reconstruction.
As well as having the Futuro on display to the public through 091612 there will be screenings of Mika Taanila's 1998 film "Futuro - A New Stance for Tomorrow a small exhibition featuring the utopian world of Futuro and speeches by Futuro experts. If you are anywhere close make sure to stop by; we are sure it will be well worth it.
Among the many visitors to the exhibition in Espoo has been lwsdm who visited on 061212 and took this marvellous set of photos reproduced here under CC 2.0.
As of 080212 content for the Futuro at the WeeGee Exhibition Center in Espoo has been moved to its dedicated page. There is updated content on that page.
Update 080112
One of the pages on the World Design Capital | Helsinki 2012 Website discusses the Futuro 2012 Program in Espoo. There are some great photos of the Futuro there taken during transport and reconstruction.
As well as having the Futuro on display to the public through 091612 there will be screenings of Mika Taanila's 1998 film "Futuro - A New Stance for Tomorrow a small exhibition featuring the utopian world of Futuro and speeches by Futuro experts. If you are anywhere close make sure to stop by; we are sure it will be well worth it.
Among the many visitors to the exhibition in Espoo has been lwsdm who visited on 061212 and took this marvellous set of photos reproduced here under CC 2.0.
Update 071712 | Now Located In Espoo
Futuro #001 was purchased by the City of Espoo, Finland and it has now been restored and is on display at the WeeGee Exhibition Center. A press release originally dated 041111 can be found here.
The WeeGee website indicates that the restored Futuro will be open to the public 050812 through 091612. Running in tandem will be screenings of Mika Taanila's film "Futuro - A New Stance for Tomorrow" along with Group Tours and talks by Futuro experts. Further details can be found on the WeeGee site here. Futuro #001 will then stay on site and will be open to the public again in the summer of 2013.
There are some great photographs of the Futuro on the WeeGee Futuro House Facebook Page and in particlular there are some great shots of the Futuro in various stages of construction.
The WeeGee Exposition Center is located at Ahertajantie 5, 02100 Espoo, Finland; we have not added any maps at this time since we can find no imagery recent enough to show the Futuro on site.
The purchase and subsequent restoration of Futuro #001 prompted a 051012 article by Justin McGuirk title "Futuro - the ideal home that wasn't" in the British national daily newspaper The Guardian which can be found here.
Lewis Martin has posted this great photo of the fully restored Futuro on Flickr under a Creative Commons 2.0 License - thanks for publishing your work under CC Lewis.
Futuro #001 was purchased by the City of Espoo, Finland and it has now been restored and is on display at the WeeGee Exhibition Center. A press release originally dated 041111 can be found here.
The WeeGee website indicates that the restored Futuro will be open to the public 050812 through 091612. Running in tandem will be screenings of Mika Taanila's film "Futuro - A New Stance for Tomorrow" along with Group Tours and talks by Futuro experts. Further details can be found on the WeeGee site here. Futuro #001 will then stay on site and will be open to the public again in the summer of 2013.
There are some great photographs of the Futuro on the WeeGee Futuro House Facebook Page and in particlular there are some great shots of the Futuro in various stages of construction.
The WeeGee Exposition Center is located at Ahertajantie 5, 02100 Espoo, Finland; we have not added any maps at this time since we can find no imagery recent enough to show the Futuro on site.
The purchase and subsequent restoration of Futuro #001 prompted a 051012 article by Justin McGuirk title "Futuro - the ideal home that wasn't" in the British national daily newspaper The Guardian which can be found here.
Lewis Martin has posted this great photo of the fully restored Futuro on Flickr under a Creative Commons 2.0 License - thanks for publishing your work under CC Lewis.
Original Information 110111 | Located In Hirvensalmi At That Time
Futuro #001 has been owned by TV celebrity Matti Kuusla since its manufacture. It is worth noting that despite the #001 numbering this was not the first Futuro manufactured - the prototype was numbered #000 and that Futuro has been fully restored and is on display at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This Futuro has spent its life on a lakeside property in Hirvensalmi where, mainly because it has never had an electrical supply, it has been only used in a very limited way.
The Futuro is not in the best condition and it was this that prompted Anna-Maija Kuitunen to write her thesis which was largely about the current condition of Futuro #001 and the process that might be used to restore and preserve it as an iconic piece of Finnish architecture.
The Futuro is not in the best condition and it was this that prompted Anna-Maija Kuitunen to write her thesis which was largely about the current condition of Futuro #001 and the process that might be used to restore and preserve it as an iconic piece of Finnish architecture.
