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
Our interest in the Futuro House quickly became our passion for the Futuro House and eventually, perhaps some might say, our obsession with the Futuro House. We collect books, magazines, collectibles and other items that relate to the Futuro House in some way. As is the case with all collections it started off relatively small with easy to obtain pieces but over time it has become quite extensive and worthy of "Futuro Nuts".
The collection contains all manner of items from unique original pieces from the early days of Futuro through contemporary mass-produced items and everything in between. The collection currently comprises a little under 450 physical items plus various "digital" items (in particular digital copies of newspaper articles) and these pages are effectively the collection's "catalog".
Additional items can also be found in The Charles Cleworth Futuro House Archive and in several smaller collections and archives.
As is the case with most collectors we are always looking to add to this collection so if you have Futuro related items for sale or know of any Futuro items for sale please let us know.
A Few Notes Relating To This Collection
The collection contains all manner of items from unique original pieces from the early days of Futuro through contemporary mass-produced items and everything in between. The collection currently comprises a little under 450 physical items plus various "digital" items (in particular digital copies of newspaper articles) and these pages are effectively the collection's "catalog".
Additional items can also be found in The Charles Cleworth Futuro House Archive and in several smaller collections and archives.
As is the case with most collectors we are always looking to add to this collection so if you have Futuro related items for sale or know of any Futuro items for sale please let us know.
A Few Notes Relating To This Collection
- Out Of Date Item Descriptions: Item descriptions were accurate at the time collection items were acquired but may have become outdated since. In the event that information pertaining to an item has changed following the reference links in item descriptions will take you to pages where that updated information can be found.
- Translation: There are a number of items in this collection in languages other than English. While Google Translate can be a valuable tool it is never as good as a true translation by a bi-lingual person. Such items will display a "Translate" icon. If you are able and would be willing to translate an item please click the "Translate" icon for that item to send an email requesting high res files for the purposes of translation. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer. You would receive full attribution for the translation along with a link to your own website (or other website of your choosing) and you would also have the satisfaction of knowing your are contributing to the Futuro knowledge store here on this website.
- Copyright: These pages contain photographs of various books, magazines and other items in this collection. Many of these items, and certainly the majority of the books and magazines are subject to copyright and the images are deliberately of a fairly low resolution and are used here simply to catalogue this collection and to provide you with a glimpse of what you would be getting if you chose to follow a similar path to us and purchase any of these items for yourself. If you wish to display any of this subject matter on your own website or otherwise use it please respect the publishers copyright and purchase your own copy.
- Amazon Links: These pages are not aimed at advertising and we are not trying to sell you anything. However, there are expenses with keeping up a website such as this and we spend a great deal of time researching and trying to maintain this site as the most up to date and complete Futuro House resource on the web. So if, and only if, you already intend to purchase for yourself something we have in this collection please consider using the links provided here to do so if the price is right (we strongly suggest exploring other online retailers as well before making a purchase; most of the links here are to Amazon and while their prices are almost always competitive they are not always the cheapest). Doing this will not increase your cost but it will earn us a small (and it is small) commission on the sale that will be put towards our recurring web hosting costs. You know what the proverbial "they" say - every little helps!
- Item Loans: We have in the past loaned items to institutions for various exhibitions (details here) and, on a case by case basis, are prepared to do so again in the future. If you are interested in such a loan please contact us with details of the Institution and/or Exhibition making the inquiry, the dates the items would be required and which items you are interested in displaying.
- Art & Posters
- Books A-D
- Books E-G (This Page)
- Books H-L
- Books M-R
- Books S-Z
- Catalogs & Guides
- Collectibles
- Magazines A-B
- Magazines C-D
- Magazines E-L
- Magazines M-O
- Magazines P-S
- Magazines T-Z
- Magazines Digital
- Music CD & Vinyl
- Newspapers
- Newspapers Digital A-M
- Newspapers Digital N-S
- Newspapers Digital T-Z
- Newspapers Digital Multiple Issues
- Newspapers Digital Multiple Publications
- Photographs
- Postal Items
- Postcards
- Sales Materials
- Videos
Books E-G
Listed below are books (titles starting E-G) included in this collection.
Latest Update(s)/Addition(s) ***
- Egofugal: 7th International Istanbul Biennial | Edited By Huseyin Karagoz | Purchased 102412
- Et Dieu Créa Le Code - Parisis Code 3 | Written By Thierry Van De Leur | French | Purchased 053014
- *** Fab-O-Rama - A Wild Ride: The Story Of Morey's Piers, Planet Earth's ... | Written By Jack Wright | Purchased 071918
- Fiberglass Buildings | Written By Robert B. Hartwig | Purchased 102712
- Fieldens of Todmorden: A Nineteenth Century Business Dynasty | Written By Brian R. Law | Purchased 111612
- Finland: Modern Architectures In History | Written By Roger Connah | Purchased 031713
- Finnish Design: Facts & Fancy | Written By Donald J. Willcox | Purchased 120112
- Florida Curiosities, 3rd (Curiosities Series) | Written By David Grimes & Tom Becnel | Purchased 080212
- Fodor's Essential USA, 1st Ed.: Spectacular Cities, Natural Wonders, and ... | Edited By Fodor's | Purchased 030814
- Forgotten Tales of Tennessee | Written By Kelly Kazek | Purchased 061214
- Form: Special Issue - Entry 2006 | Edited by Kristina Raderschad & Gerrit Terstiege | Purchased 022114
- From Bakelite To Composite | Written By Adriaan Beukers, Moniek Bucquoye, Lieven Daenen and Klaus Drechsler | Purchased 083113
- Futuro: Tomorrow's House from Yesterday | Edited By Marko Home & Mika Taanila | Purchased 071712
- George Clarke's More Amazing Spaces | Written By George Clark | Purchased 122214
- Glass Reinforced Plastics | Edited By Brian Parkyn | Purchased 080815
- Gluck/Skop | Written By Carsten Höller | German | Purchased 032013
- Golden Generation. Modernism in Finnish Architecture and Design | Russian | Purchased 071416
- Gravity: Tilted Perspectives on Rocketships, Rollercoasters, Earthquakes and ... | Written By Joseph Lanza | Purchased 101212
Egofugal: 7th International Istanbul Biennial (September 22-November 17, 2001) edited by Huseyin Karagoz which could perhaps be described as a kind of program or catalogue for the Biennial surprisingly contains no pictures of the Futuro that was displayed at the Biennial.
There are however several pages of interest to the "Futuro fan". Pages 160-161 carry a short article on the Futuro House along with some photographs and we also find brief biographies of Matti Suuronen and Mika Taanila on pages 206 and 205 respectively.
- Editor: Huseyin Karagoz
- Paperback: 248 pages
- Publisher: Istanbul: Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (January 1, 2001)
- Language: English & Turkish
- ASIN: B005CZF418
- ISBN-10: 9757383227
- Product Dimensions: 9.0 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
Fiberglass Buildings written by Robert B. Hartwig is a self-published book from 1970 which discusses various fiberglass structures.
It is actually quite an interesting book and starts off by cataloguing an amazing line up of 71 different fiberglass buildings that were developed around the world between 1956 and 1970 and then moves on to discuss some of these in more detail.
The Futuro House is one of these and there is a five page article on it. The book does not have page numbers but the Futuro article actually occupies pages 63 to 67.
- Author: Robert B. Hartwig
- Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Robert B. Hartwig (1970)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0960033815
- ISBN-13: 978-0960033812
- Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
Finland: Modern Architectures in History written by Roger Connah is described on the back cover as providing "A compelling view of the country's political, cultural and artistic evolution and how it affected the work of its leading architects..."
Of course that describes something far "deeper" than we have the inclination or the time to read and so we have not read the book as a whole but there is a short (very general and lacking in detail) paragraph on the Futuro House which is accompanied by a single photograph on pages 229 and 230.
- Author: Roger Connah
- Paperback: 280 pages
- Publisher: Reaktion Books (March 15, 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1861892500
- ISBN-13: 978-1861892508
- Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.9 x 8.7 inches
Florida Curiosities, 3rd Edition (Curiosities Series) written by David Grimes & Tom Becnel features a very short article on the Pensacola Beach Futuro; the article is general in nature and offers no new or detailed information or history.
The article is accompanied by a single black and white photograph.
Like all of the books in the "Curiosities" series this book, depending on your personal tastes, could be of value when planning a vacation itinerary but it is of very limited value as far as Futuro House information goes.
Obsessive Futuro collectors only!
- Authors: David Grimes & Tom Becnel
- Paperback: 264 pages
- Publisher: Globe Pequot; Third edition (January 11, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0762759895
- ISBN-13: 978-0762759897
- Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
Forgotten Tales of Tennessee written by Kelly Kazek features stories of the weird, wild and wonderful in the Volunteer State and includes colorful characters, strange sites, intriguing incidents, tombstone tales, odd occurrences and curious creatures.
Though there are no Futuro Houses located in Tennessee the Futuro House is mentioned in the narrative on page 74 in a section titled "Unidentified Flying House" by way of an introduction to the Flying Saucer House located on Signal Mountain, TN.
- Author: Kelly Kazek
- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: The History Press (March 4, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1609491564
- ISBN-13: 978-1609491567
- Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
From Bakelite To Composite: Design In New Materials written by Adriaan Beukers, Moniek Bucquoye, Lieven Daenen and Klaus Drechsler was inspired by the exhibition "From Bakelite To Composite" that ran from 110902 through 022303 at the Design Museum in Ghent, Belgium.
Though there was no Futuro displayed at the exhibition (at least as far as we can tell) the book mentions the Futuro House and also includes a photo on page 164. There were some publicity materials for the exhibition that also referenced the Futuro House.
- Authors: Adriaan Beukers, Moniek Bucquoye, Lieven Daenen, Klaus Drechsler
- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Stichting Kunstboek; Bilingual edition (March 2, 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 9058560864
- ISBN-13: 978-9058560865
- Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 8.3 x 10 inches
George Clarke's More Amazing Spaces written by George Clark with Jane Field-Lewis is based on the UK Channel 4 TV series George Clarke's Amazing Spaces.
Page 12 of the book includes a short article on the Royse City Futuro which appeared in Season 3 Episode 2 of the TV series (prior to its 2014 "face lift").
The article is accompanied by a single photograph of the Futuro, also prior to its 2014 "face lift." Season 4 Episode 2 of the TV show also featured a Futuro; in this case Craig Barnes' UK Futuro.
- Author: George Clark with Jane Field-Lewis
- Hardcover: 162 Pages
- Publisher: Quadrille Publishing (2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1849495203
- ISBN-13: 978-1849495202
- Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 10 inches
Glass Reinforced Plastics talks to the history, design criteria and end uses of Glass Fibre Reinforced Platics and includes the work of multiple authors edited by Brian Parkyn.
The Futuro House does not appear to be mentioned in the text; at least as far as we can tell based on a quick read. There is however on page 22 a single photo of a Futuro House. The desription of the photo describes the structure as a "weekend chalet" comprised of (incorrectly) 36 GRP sections.
The photo is referenced as Fig 2.3; Figs 2.2 and 2.4 are referenced in the text of the book but Fig 2.3 is not based, again, on a quick read.
Not that you would buy a book for its cover, it is the content that matters after all, it is notable that this books cover is perhaps the most boring one we have come across, there is no text, no photos, no nothing; it is completely plain.
- Editor: Brian Parkyn
- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Butterworth & Co (1970)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1483109321
- ISBN-13: 978-1483109329
- Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.7 x 9.8 inches
The exhibition Golden Generation. Modernism in Finnish Architecture and Design ran 111415 through 013116 at the The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
This book appears to have served as the "de facto" exhibition catalog; it includes a short section on the Futuro House on pages 222-223. Also included alongside the short text entry are a few photos and some drawings. The book is in Russian.
- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: The State Hermitage Publishers (2015)
- Language: Russian
- ISBN-10: 5935726130
- ISBN-13: 978-5935726133
- Product Dimensions: 11 x 11 x 0.9 inches
Gravity: Tilted Perspectives on Rocketships, Rollercoasters, Earthquakes and Angel Food written by Joseph Lanza is a book we have to confess we have not read so we cannot actually tell you what it is about.
On page 201 in a chapter titled "Epilogue: Angel Food Futurism" we find an oft published photo of a Futuro being transported by helicopter tagged "A House Is Like A Pastry." The accompanying text includes the most bizarre description of a Futuro we have ever seen stating that it may look "more like a scone than an angel food cake"; not entirely sure what that actually means.
- Author: Joseph Lanza
- Paperback: 213 pages
- Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group Inc (January 1, 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0704380560
- ISBN-13: 978-0704380561
- Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
Et Dieu Créa Le Code - Parisis Code 3 written by Thierry Van De Leur suggests that there is some centuries old symbology that is hidden in the streets of Paris. We are not too sure about all that but the book does mention the Futuro that stood out front of the CNIT in la Défense in the 70's and 80's and is now located in Saint-Ouen.
The book includes a photo of the Futuro which is actually a representation of one of these postcards and the text mentions another postcard which features the Futuro and a huge globe "which the Futuro could perhaps visit."
- Author: Thierry Van De Leur
- Paperback: 310 pages
- Publisher: Thierry Van De Leur (December 6, 2012)
- Language: French
- ISBN-10: 2954073179
- ISBN-13: 978-2954073170
- Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
There are two different versions of Fab-O-Rama - A Wild Ride: The Story Of Morey's Piers, Planet Earth's Greatest Seaside Amusement Park written by Jack Wright with only the cover and title being different; the other version can be found here. The two different covers can be seen below (this version first).
During the 1970's there was a Futuro at Morey's Pier in Wildwood, NJ. The Futuro was refinished several times at Morey's Pier and the book contains two double page images of the Futuro. Text in the book references the Futuro only briefly and even then it is referred to only as the "spaceship". This Futuro was later located in Seaside Heights, NJ and eventually demolished.
- Author: Jack Wright
- Perfect Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Exit Zero Publishing Inc (August 1, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 097990515X
- ISBN-13: 978-0979905155
- Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches
Fieldens of Todmorden: A Nineteenth Century Business Dynasty written by Brian R. Law is an in depth study of the Fielden family and its business and history. It is far too "heavy" a read for us.
The book does however include a cool photo of the Todmorden Futuro captioned as follows:
"Waterside Plastics made a glass fibre house in the old Fielden Mill. Here it is being moved to a position in the town centre where it was used in the celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of Todmorden ..."
- Author: Brian R. Law
- Hardcover: 302 pages
- Publisher: G. Kelsall (1995)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0946571260
- ISBN-13: 978-0946571260
- Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.25 x 1.0 inches
Finnish Design: Facts and Fancy written by Donald J. Willcox with photographs by Ove Hector is a look at the world of Finnish design which is often cool, sometimes bizarre and always innovative.
For whatever reason the book does not have page numbers but towards the back there is a page with a short write up about the Futuro House.
The article is accompanied by three photos; one is of an actual Futuro, a second appears to be a photo of a model of a Futuro and the third is of an artist's impression of what a Futuro Hotel might look like.
- Author: Donald J. Willcox
- Hardcover: 162 pages
- Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co (October 1973)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0442294700
- ISBN-13: 978-0442294700
- Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
Fodor's Essential USA, 1st Edition: Spectacular Cities, Natural Wonders, and Great American Road Trips (Travel Guide) is a travel guide from perhaps the best known publisher of such books, Fodor's, and in this case we have a book aimed at helping travelers design their own perfect "Great American Road Trip".
On page 162, in a section on North Carolina's Outer-Banks, there is a brief mention of the Frisco Futuro.
The article really does nothing more than note the presence of the Futuro and there are no photographs.
- Editor: Fodor's
- Series: Travel Guide
- Paperback: 688 pages
- Publisher: Fodor's; 1 edition (June 3, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1400007208
- ISBN-13: 978-1400007202
- Product Dimensions: 1.4 x 5.2 x 8.1 inches
Entry 2006 (Zeitschrift Form) edited by Kristina Raderschad & Gerrit Terstiege is a special issue of the magazine Form and was initially going to be in the magazines section of this collection but it has an ISBN number and, if we are reading Wikipedia correctly, that makes it a book.
Design and architecture was the subject of "Entry 2006" which ran 082606-120306 at the Zollverein Complex. This publication documents the events and exhibitions of Entry 2006. There was no Futuro at the event but there is one photograph of a Futuro on page 48 of the publication.
- Editors: Kristina Raderschad & Gerrit Terstiege
- Series: Zeitschrift Form
- Paperback: 82 pages
- Publisher: Birkhäuser; 1 edition (August 25, 2006)
- Language: English & German
- ISBN-10: 3936560471
- ISBN-13: 978-3936560473
- Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9 x 0.2 inches
Futuro: Tomorrow's House from Yesterday edited by Marko Home & Mika Taanila is a "must have" book for any true Futuro House aficionado. It is the definitive resource for information on the early history of the Futuro House and includes a wealth of information not found anywhere else along with a treasure trove of photos.
It's one drawback is probably the price but, if you can afford it, it is well worth it and the price is likely to continue to increase in any case. Our copy for example has more than doubled in price since we purchased it.
Just a couple of photos of sample pages are displayed below since the entire book is full of interesting history and great photographs and to display all pages here would essentially mean displaying the books entire 192 pages.
As an added bonus a copy of the Mika Taanila directed documentary film "Futuro: A New Stance for Tomorrow" comes with the book. The film features great footage of Futuros and interviews with several Futuro "celebrities" including, among others, Matti Suuronen (architect and Futuro designer), Matti Kuusla (owner of Futuro 001), Ensio Söderström (CEO of Oy Polykem Ab) and Charles Wilp (artist & Futuro owner).
- Edited By: Marko Home & Mika Taanila
- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: Desura Ltd (July 1, 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 9525339130
- ISBN-13: 978-9525339130
- Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 0.7 inches
Gluck, Skop (German Edition) written by Carsten Höller documents a number of the belgian artist's exhibitions and works.
The book is in German so we are unable to read it but it appears to contain information on three of Höller's exhibitions including the Skop exhibition which took place at the Wiener Secession and ran from 051096 through 070796 in Vienna, Austria.
That exhibition featured Futuro #000 (now in Rotterdam, Netherlands). The book features several photographs of the Futuro House on display at the exhibition.
- Author: Carsten Höller
- Paperback: 80 pages
- Publisher: Oktagon (1996)
- Language: German
- ISBN-10: 3896110225
- ISBN-13: 978-3896110220
- Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.3 x 8.7 inches
