Futuro Fiberglass House 1969

[Patron_zero]

This is a first time for me, first project presented to the board and first model rough from scratch as well so be kind please.

The Futuro fiberglass house was a curiosity of the late 1960s when mod seemed to appear in all the arts from clothing to architecture. This compact little cottage was lightweight, easily assembled on most sites and just darn quirky enough to have always lingered in the back of my mind as a must-do model.

Presented is the very raw assembled templates to get the basic shape and work towards an as yet set scale, likely to be either for Lego mini-fig or Playmobil figurines. The model rests on an empty tuna tin but that is about right for the final-finished support ring-legs assembly.

I'm just working towards a framework to 'skin' and do an exteriors-only at this point, the interior details may follow as time allows but am setting the floor as it is a needed part of the 'skeleton'

Given the time-budget, would love to do a model in styrene as a prototype for a garage kit but that's a ways off at the moment.

Posting a few reference photos of the real Futuro houses and my model at the moment, enjoy !

[paper hollywood]

I recall seeing these in books and magazines, but I don't think I ever saw one for real. It certainly has that "take me to your leader" look. With a few design changes it could have looked just like the Jupiter 2.

I actually have been inside of one of these. There was a display set up in Philadelphia in the early 19070's. This one is much smaller than the one off one I visited. I only know it was large as there were a lot of people in it at the same time. I think it was concrete sections. Not as modular and self contained as these were. I think 5 or six of these, with some kind of structure connecting them together would be neat to live in, otherwise way too small. The materials they were made of would be scary though. Much plastic = plastic fumes, which is bad for you.

This should make a neat model. The only problem I see is the outside radius. Double formed curves in paper aren't easily made. If you made this a one off, using a paper-mache technique, and build a plug, the mold to form it, you could have quite a unique mode;. Make the top removable, and you could make a full interior that would be visible.

[THE DC]

I love these houses and wish I could own one for an office.

I've seen these dotted around the country, from CA to the outer banks of NC.

Unfortunately, many are in a poor state of repair, but there's been a movement to restore these and online repair materials have become available.

If you find patterns available during your process, please share them. A UFO house should be in every community, even if only in miniature!

Again, great project!

The DC

[THE DC]

BTW:

The interiors of these were a gas!

Everything was condensed to an extreme and the design was a conversation starter. I espacially groked the fireplaces!

Here's a few links that I saved for the Futuro houses:

http://www.futurohouse.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futuro

http://www.futuro-house.net/

http://www.berting.nl/futuro/

[Patron_zero]

Originally Posted by Zathros

..... The only problem I see is the outside radius. Double formed curves in paper aren't easily made......

That is something of a problem at the moment, assembling the piece as a whole should not be so bad though, going with the real life item's eight ( segment panel construction. Hopefully doing this will smooth out that issue.

That said, I intend to 'lessen' the difficulty by overlapping the upper and lower 'dome' segments at the center-line where the main row of windows are set. Doing such should make installing said windows 'simpler' and give the model some strength were it might most need it.

It may be cheating a bit but the ribs of the model may end up being cut from foamcore or artboard on the first attempt, that said I might just 'laminate' a few sheets of cardstock to get a similar rigidness.

Scary part is I might even apply what little 'vacuforming' skills I have to make the signature bubble windows, how's that go, in for a penney-in for a pound Sterling.

[Eric Ferguson]

I think there was one of these houses in Marin County a number of years ago. Or something similar. It was on a hillside near the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Civic Center, if memory serves. Then one one, poof, gone. BTW, that Civic Center would make a great model as well. It'll be fascinating to see a model of tis Future house.

[Vince]

Imagine how much one of those oval skylight style windows must cost to replace!!

Patron Zero, I was doodling with Rhino and came up with some sections. This would not give a smooth dome, which I think would be very difficult in paper,but would give a sectioned dome like structure. If you are interested, i can give you the whole files unfolded and you can see what you may or may not want to do with it. No charge of course. You can do whatever you wish for it,as long as the final model is free. Send me a P.M.

[THE DC]

That's pretty good, Beast of Burdern for the Great machine!!!!

DC

I try to offer as much as I can, as little as it may be.

[Patron_zero]

Originally Posted by Zathros

I try to offer as much as I can, as little as it may be.

Very humble words from a very humble man, you the man Mr.Z !