The Futuro House

Made In Banlieues written by Diane Cazelles with photography by Guillaume De Laubier is subtitled "Voyages Inattendus Aux Portes De Paris" or, according to Google Translate "Unexpected Journeys To The Doors Of Paris".

The book takes the reader on a journey around the Paris suburbs in words and photographs.

The Saint-Ouen Futuro is featured on the cover of the book and in an article that runs pages 190 through 195. The article includes several nice photographs of the Futuro.

• Author: Diane Cazelles
• Photographer: Guillaume De Laubier
• Paperback: 340 Pages
• Publisher: Editions de la Martinière; LA MARTINIERE edition
• Language: French
• ISBN-10: 2732440809
• ISBN-13: 978-2732440804
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 1.1 x 7.7 inches

Mobile Architektur: Geschichte und Entwicklung transportabler und modularer Bauten (German Edition) written by Matthias Ludwig is subtitled "History and development of portable and modular buildings" [Google Translation].

The book is in German so we are unable to read it but it appears the title and subtitle of the book are very descriptive. The cover showcases the Futuro and pages 122-123 feature an article on the IKA or Internationale Kunststoffhaus Ausstellung der Welt; an 1971 exhibition in Lüdenscheid, Germany that featured a Futuro among other structures.

• Author: Matthias Ludwig
• Hardcover: 149 pages
• Publisher: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt (1998)
• Language: German
• ISBN-10: 3421031401
• ISBN-13: 978-3421031402
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches

Modern Scandinavian Design by Charlotte Fiell, Peter Fiell & Magnus Englund is a rather chunky "Coffee Table Book". An article titled "Houses Of The Future" on pages 56-57 provides a little information on Polykem and the work of Matti Suuronen and it is accompanied by photos of both Futuro and Venturo.

The Futuro photo shows the Harewood Futuro during its short 2006/2007 stay in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. There are also photos of a drawing and a plan which are actually from this collection and credited to TheFuturoHouse.com.

• Authors: Charlotte Fiell, Peter Fiell & Magnus Englund
• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Laurence King Publishing (October 17, 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1786270528
• ISBN-13: 978-1786270528
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 2 x 12.6 inches

Move House written by Sean Topham takes a look at a variety of mobile, prefabricated and other "non-standard" housing ideas and projects.

The forty or so specific projects discussed in the book are all late 1990's or 2000's. In the first, and introductory, chapter which recounts some of the history of innovative and unusual architecture of a mobile, or at least portable, nature Topham includes a brief paragraph on the Futuro House. The content is generic and we learn nothing new about the Futuro House. There is also a single photo.

• Author: Sean Topham
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Prestel Publishing (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 379133056X
• ISBN-13: 978-3791330563
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.4 x 0.8 inches

Muovikirja is a book in Finnish and is yet another in the growing list of things we have to get translated at some point. The book is sub-titled "Arkitavaraa ja designesineitä" which Google Translate tells us means "The stuff everyday and design objects." The Google translation is clearly not very precise but the book is equally clearly focused on design.

For the most part the book seems to deal with smaller objects and interior design but on pages 144 and 145 we find a small section on Matti Suuronen which covers both Futuro and Venturo; there is one picture of the Futuro once located in Hirvensalmi, Finland and now located at the WeeGee Exhibition Center.

We obtained our copy of this book on Adlibris and to date we have not found a copy elsewhere. Adlibris ships only within Scandinavia so if you were interested in obtaining a copy outside of that region you would need someone with a Scandinavian address to take delivery of the book from Adlibris and then forward it on.

• Author: Hannele Nyman & Tuula Poutasuo
• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: WSOY 2004
• Language: Finnish
• ISBN-10: 9510291323
• ISBN-13: 978-9510291320
• Product Dimensions: 9.75 x 0.5 x 8.9 inches

Nelson Observed: Portraits Of A New Zealand Province is by Christopher B. Vine and it showcases his talents for both drawing and writing as it presents a commentary on the buildings and architectural styles found in the area.

The book includes a brief mention of the Pohara Futuro though the small drawing is captioned "The Space Age arrives at Pohara" and there is actually no spcific mention of Futuro. The book was published in 1992 which indicates the Pohara Futuro was on site at that time or earlier. Previously we had not been able to place it there any earlier that 2003.

• Author: Christopher B. Vine
• Paperback: 103 pages
• Publisher: Nelson Institute (1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0473016214
• ISBN-13: 978-0473016210
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 0.3 x 8.25 inches

North Carolina Curiosities, 4th: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Curiosities Series) written by Kent Priestley & Jon Elliston includes a two page article on the Frisco Futuro that is accompanied by a single photo.

Unlike other books in the "Curiosities" series that feature small "Futuro" articles this one does actually add a little history to the "knowledge pool" and so has some value in addition to being a "collector's piece". It would also be a useful book when planning a North Carolina vacation.

• Authors: Kent Priestley & Jon Elliston
• Editor: Constance Richards
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; Fourth edition (April 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076275995X
• ISBN-13: 978-0762759958
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches

Parasite Paradise is the work of a long list of authors and contributors and, in the context of architecture, defines Parasites as "flexible and temporary structures, designed by artists or architects, that feed off of existing infrastructure."

To be honest we are not sure we quite follow that definition but from a Futuro perspective we do find an article on the Futuro House that includes some nice photographs. The Futuro content primarily relates to the 2001 SKOR exhibition in Amsterdam, Netherlands that featured Futuro #000.

• Authors & Contributors: Various
• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: NAi Publishers (February 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9056623303
• ISBN-13: 978-9056623302
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches

Plastic Culture: How Japanese Toys Conquered the World written by Woodrow Phoenix is a book all about plastics and toys. We are not entirely sure how the leap to a Futuro is made but it is.

On page 100 we find a nice photograph of the Danvers Futuro. The oposite page carries the captions for a number of photos including the Futuro under the description "In an age of plastic culture, why settle for the merely functional when a witty design can be fun to use?" Our opinion; the design of the Futuro was entirely functional and fun too!

• Author: Woodrow Phoenix
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International (August 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770030177
• ISBN-13: 978-4770030177
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.8 x 0.7 inches

Pop Rauha Rakkaus published by the Lahti City Museum is subtitled "1960's and 70's life and phenomena" (assuming Google Translate is accurate). The book is available (at the time of writing) for purchase on Adlibris (Finnish shipping address required). Adlibris decribes the book as being a (Google translation):

"Lahti Art Museum publication produced by a collection of various sectors and individuals operating colorful articles. The articles Thresholds. nuorisoidoleihin era, communal living, arts events, and nature conservation. Publication offers glimpses of the world moved to the decades of interesting phenomena."

On page 63 we find a photograph of the Dombai Futuro. The accompanying text does mention the Futuro but we have not yet had this translated so we have no idea what it actually says.

• Editors: Maija-Riitta Rock & Ville-Matti Rautjoki
• Hardcover: 95 pages
• Publisher: Lahti City Museum (2008)
• Language: Finnish
• ISBN-10: 9519679995
• ISBN-13: 978-9519679990
• Product Dimensions: 9.0 x 0.375 x 9.0 inches

RADAR: Internationale Kunstausstellung in der Stadt (International Art Exhibition In The City) was an extensive outdoor exhibition that ran from 062890 to 090290 in the town of Kotka, Finland. The exhibition was curated by German Norbert Weber. RADAR featured works by 16 artists and among them was Helsinki born Jussi Kivi (Finnish Wikipedia page | Google translation to English here). Kivi's contribution to RADAR was an installation titled "The Eagle Has Landed - Unidentified Flying Object - An Exhibition About UFOs". For more information on RADAR see Futuro Exhibitions.

This book appears to have served as the de facto catalog (it is included in this section of these pages rather than the Catalogs & Guides section because it has an ISBN number) for RADAR and was edited by Norbert Weber who curated the exhibition; it includes a single photo of the Futuro on display. There are also photographs of the interior displays in the two containers that accompanied the Futuro; the containers featured various UFO related paraphernalia. The Futuro displayed at RADAR was the original prototype, Futuro #000, now a part of the collection of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in the Netherlands.

We found this copy of the book on E-Bay and at this time we have not seen it available on any other sites (though we do recall seeing one a while ago on GetTextBooks.com).

• Editor: Norbert Weber
• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: NEMO - Kunst in Nordeuropa (1991)
• Language: Swedish, English & German
• ISBN-10: 3928404008
• ISBN-13: 978-3928404006
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 0.25 inches

This 1975 German language educational book is titled "Rheinisch-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften" which translates, according to Google Translate, to "The Academy of Sciences of the Rhineland-Westphalia - Lectures 251".

The book covers two topics; basics for the design of platforms and containers for marine technology and problems with the use of plastics for load-bearing structures.

The Futuro does not appear to be mentioned in the text as far as we can tell but there is a single photo on page 85.

• Authors: Hans Ebner & Helmut Domke
• Series: Rheinisch-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Paperback: 117 pages
• Publisher: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften; 1975 edition
• Language: German
• ISBN-10: 3531082515
• ISBN-13: 978-3531082516
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.3 x 9.6 inches

Rummel im Plänterwald edited by Christopher Flade, Ludwig Neumann & Dacha Szabo documents the history of Kulturpark Plänterwald which opened in Berlin in 1969 and was later known as Spreepark before closing in the early 2000's.

The Berlin Futuro was located at the park until current owner Cora Geißler found it abandoned and purchased it around 2002. Based on this book the Futuro was actually used at the park only until around 1996; from 1997 on the Futuro no longer appeared on the park maps.

• Edited By: Christopher Flade, Ludwig Neumann & Dacha Szabo
• Hardcover: 285 Pages
• Publisher: Büchner-Verlag eG, Marburg
• Language: German
• ISBN-10: 3963171030
• ISBN-13: 978-3963171031
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches

Quasar Khanh was a Vietnamese engineer, inventor and designer. At the age of 15 Khanh moved to Paris, France and established himself as the most significant Vietnamese furniture designer of the 20th century. Quasar Khanh : Designer visionnaire, published in 2017, takes a look at the work of Khan.

The book also includes a short feature on Matti Suuronen and the Saint-Ouen Futuro titled "Matti Suuronen, Le design Utopique" ("Matti Suuronen, Utopian Design"). The book is in French and without a translation we are a little unclear as to the relationship between Khanh and the Futuro.

• Author: Marc Mineray
• Hardcover: 239 Pages
• Publisher: Albin Michel (March 1, 2017)
• Language: French
• ISBN-10: 222632156X
• ISBN-13: 978-2226321565
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 1.2 x 11 inches

Modes & Travaux is a French language monthly general interest women's magazine based in Paris, France that was founded, according to Wikipedia, in 1919 and is one of the oldest magazines in the country.

Modes & Travaux - Une histoire de la femme française is a compendium book written by Patricia Wagner & Élodie Lantelme that includes unpublished archival material from the magazine.

The Amazon description of the book includes this summary:

"From the reconstruction of the nation after the First World War to the end of the carefree attitude of the Roaring Twenties, from the great economic crisis of the 1930s to the tremendous economic expansion of the Thirty Glorious Years, from the obtaining of the right to vote of women to the right to abortion: nearly a century of history of France and French women, told by the unpublished archives of the magazine."

Page 225 includes a rather interesting photo that shows the Saint-Ouen Futuro back in its CNIT days in the background.

The photo shows a woman in her car using a "mobile phone" (though clearly not quite the mobile phone we are all so used to and seem to depend on for everything). The text accompanying the photos suggests that such a phone is highly recommended to help the women of the 1980's enhance comfort and avoid wasting time.

• Authors: Patricia Wagner & Élodie Lantelme
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: SOLAR (October 2, 2014)
• Language: French
• ISBN-10: 2263066063
• ISBN-13: 978-2263066061
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 1.1 x 13.8 inches

Open House: Designing Spaces for Living edited by Simon Lamunière was published in conjunction with a two-year research project and an open-air exhibition of the same title in Geneva in summer 2022.

The Haigerloch Futuro made a road trip to be a part of the exhibition 061122 thru 082822 (as a part of Session 4 of the exhibition).

The book includes a couple of photos along with some general Futuro history (in both English and French) on pages 142 thru 145.

• Editor: Simon Lamunière
• Publisher: ‎Scheidegger and Spiess; Bilingual edition (November 8, 2022)
• Language‏: ‎English
• Paperback: ‎336 pages
• ISBN-10: ‎3858818852
• ISBN-13: ‎978-3858818850
• Item Weight: ‎1.5 pounds
• Dimensions: ‎6.25 x 1 x 9 inches

Micro: Very Small Buildings written by Ruth Slavid is an interesting read in it's own right quite apart from any "Futuro" interest; the book discusses examples of very small buildings or what might be termed "micro architecture".

You could argue that the "Futuro" interest is very "micro" as well as the architecture; Futuro is mentioned on page 200 only in as much as it perhaps influenced the design, by Marco Koeppel & Carlo Matinez, of the Schlafhaus. A book we would imagine is probably one for only for the most rabid of Futuro "nuts".

• Author: Ruth Slavid
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Laurence King Publishers (September 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185669495X
• ISBN-13: 978-1856694957
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches

Mika Taanila: Human Engineering written by Heike Munder contains commentary (in both German and English) on Finnish film director Mika Taanila's work along with images from those works.

Taanila directed the 29 minute 1998 documentary "Futuro: A New Stance for Tomorrow" and along with commentary on Taanila's work the book includes a chapter containing images from this film on pages 94-111. A DVD of this documentary that includes "bonus footage" is included with the definitive book "Futuro: Tomorrow's House from Yesterday" edited by Taanila along with Futuro historian Marko Home.

• Author: Heike Munder
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: JPR/Ringier and Migros Museum (2005)
• Language: German & English
• ISBN-10: 3905701324
• ISBN-13: 978-3905701326
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches

My Old Kentucky Road Trip "follows" native Kentuckians Cameron M. Ludwick and Blair Thomas Hess as they "explore all the amazing and irreplaceable things that make the state one of a kind".

We have never visited Kentucky but it seems like this book would be a handy little guide to "things to do" in addition to visting the states Futuro should we decide to take a road trip in the future.

Pages 146-147 feature the Covington Futuro. There is a short generic commentary and a single blank and white photograph of the Futuro.

• Authors: Cameron M. Ludwick & Blair Thomas Hess
• Paperback: 128 Pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (March 30, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1626198160
• ISBN-13: 978-1626198166

The "coffee table" book Nightwatch - Painting with Light features photography by Dallas based singer Noel Kerns who creates amazing art using a technique called "Painting With Light." As "coffee table" books go this is one that is well worth spending a few minutes with; some of the images are actually quite stunning.

There is one photograph (taken in April 2008) of the Royse City Futuro in the book. The photo is very similar to the one Kerns produced for the cover artwork of the 2012 Night's On Venus CD In 4 The Evening.

• Photographer: Noel Kerns
• Hardcover: 254 pages
• Publisher: Carpet Bombing Culture (October 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1908211024
• ISBN-13: 978-1908211026
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 10.7 x 1.1 inches

Oh, Florida!: How America's Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country is another book that came up in a Google search where we were unable to see the extent of the reference to Futuro. Had we been able to we probably would not have purchased the book.

There is one single passing mention of a "flying saucer house" in the print book. In the "notes" to the book that can only be found online the two Florida Futuros (Pensacola Beach and Tampa) get a brief mention as does TheFuturoHouse.com which is cited as a source material reference.

• Author: Craig Pittman
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (July 5, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250071208
• ISBN-13: 978-1250071200
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.4 inches

Ohio Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff, 2nd Edition written by Sandra Gurvis features a two page (293-294) article on the Carlisle Double Futuros but the information is general and generic and offers no new facts or historical information on the two Futuros.

Like other books in the "Curiosities" series this book, depending on your tastes, could be of value when planning a vacation itinerary but it is of very limited value as far as Futuro House information goes.

• Author: Sandra Gurvis
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; Second edition (August 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762764082
• ISBN-13: 978-0762764082
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches

In Permanent Change: Plastics in Architecture And Engineering edited by Michael Bell and Craig Buckley an interdisciplinary group of architects, historians, theorists, and engineers explore the past, the present, and the future possibilities of plastic as a building material.

The Futuro House is mentioned briefly twice in the narrative (on pages 56 and 62) and on page 65 we find two photos, one exterior shot and one interior shot. The photos are of Futuro #001 in its current, fully restored, state as displayed at the WeeGee Exhibition Center, Espoo, Finland.

• Editors: Michael Bell & Craig Buckley
• Hardcover: 271 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press (April 15, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616891661
• ISBN-13: 978-1616891664
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1 inches

The Finnish language book Pikkuväen Askartelukirja, which Google translates to Little Craft Book, was written by Raija Kojola and published in 1972 by Otava. The book is a children's craft book which includes small projects for children. Pages 92-93 depict a very "rustic" cardboard model of a Futuro House.

• Author: Raija Kojola
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Otava 1972
• Language: Finnish
• Product Dimensions: 4.75 x 0.3 x 5.2 inches

Plastics written by Stephan Engelsmann, Valerie Spalding & Stefan Peters is described as a comprehensive introduction to the use of plastics in architecture and construction.

The book's preface references the Internationale Kunststoffhaus Ausstellung der Welt at which the Futuro House appeared; there is a photo of this event on page 13 (the photo is a cropped version of this photo). Pages 152 and 153 feature an article on the Futuro House which is accompanied by three photographs and couple of diagrams (section and floorplan).

• Author: Stephan Engelsmann, Valerie Spalding & Stefan Peters
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Birkhäuser Architecture; 1 edition (October 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3034603223
• ISBN-13: 978-3034603225
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 8.7 x 11 inches

PreFab Houses written by Arnt Cobbers & Oliver Jahn is what we would describe as a "coffee table book" (and a big one at that; it weighs in at 7 lbs).

The book contains a short article on the Futuro along with several photographs. Among the photos are shots of the Futuro that was displayed at the Internationale Kunststoffhaus Ausstellung der Welt that opened in 1971 outside the German town of Lüdenscheid.

We also see Casoni & Casoni's Rondo in two of the photos and Jean Maneval's Bulle Six Coques in one.

• Authors: Arnt Cobbers & Oliver Jahn
• Editor: Peter Gossel
• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Taschen (August 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3836507536
• ISBN-13: 978-3836507530
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 1.8 x 13.1 inches

Update 022518

We now have a transaltion of the Futuro related pages and text in this book; many thanks to Patrik Westergård who sent us this translation. The translation ultimately did not provide any new information; rather it confirmed what we already knew about this Futuro and added some "color" and family history relating to the Futuro.

Original Information 092413

Here we go again buying books we cannot read; this time the book is in Swedish. Rötter och arv: tolv Åländska hem is a book by Britt-Marie Trensmar that features a series of chapters on homes and their interiors around the Aland Islands.

Pages of 121 through 129 of the book feature the Aland Islands Futuro. Obviously we cannot read the text (the list of things to get translated just keeps getting longer) but the photographs tell us one thing for certain; this Futuro is really excellent condition. We are sure it has must have suffered wear and tear over the years but the interior looks like it was manufactured yesterday.

We have never found a copy of this book on Amazon or for that matter E-Bay. We purchased this copy from Adlibris and then had to find someone to take delivery and forward it to us here in the USA since Adlibris will not ship outside of Scandinavia.

• Author: Britt-Marie Trensmar
• Hardcover: 198 pages
• Publisher: Söderström (October 2009)
• Language: Finnish
• ISBN-10: 9515226619
• ISBN-13: 978-9515226617
• Product Dimensions: 9.0 x 0.75 x 8.9 inches

Plastiques Et Architecture is subtitled "Numéro Hors Série De La Revue - Plastiques Bâtiment" (or "Special Issue Of The Journal - Building Plastics") which likely explains why, despite it being a hardcover "book", we can find no record of it being assigned an ISBN number.

It was written/edited by Jean Audouin and published in 1969. Pages 89 through 163 carry a lengthy article titled "Plastiques Et Applications Dans Le Bâtiment Autour D'une Table Ronde" (or "Plastics And Applications In The Building Around A Round Table) which appears to document a (presumably architecture related) discussion involving around 15 individuals.

Given the length of the article and the fact it is in French we have not been able to determine to what extent Futuro is discussed but we do find a photograph of Futuro #002 as it appeared on the upper deck of the Finnpartner at the 1968 Finnfocus Export Fair in London, UK.

• Author: Jean Audouin
• Hardcover: 178 pages
• Publisher: GM Perrin, 61, av. Ledru-Rollin (1969)
• Language: French
• ISBN-10: Unknown
• ISBN-13: Unknown
• Product Dimensions: 12.0 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches

The Russian book Modern architecture of France was published in 1981 and on page 89 it included a photo showing the Saint-Ouen Futuro during its days outside the Center of New Industries and Technologies or CNIT in La Défense, Paris, France.

Given the language we have absolutely no idea whether the Futuro is actually mentioned in the text or is purely incidental in a photo there to illustrate something other than the Futuro.

• Authors: N. K. Soloviev, V. S. Turchin & V. M. Firsanov
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Stroyizdat (1981)
• Language: Russian
• Product Dimensions: 8.75 x 7 x 0.75 inches