Futuro was launched within an era of 20th century architecture that saw unprecedented experimentation and divergence from form and function of the past. The development of new materials and seismic cultural shifts within a few short decades saw the breadth of built space turn architecture on its head in a way that would previously have taken centuries to morph though.
This fast-forwarding of thinking and doing was broadly made possible by two materials not immediately associated with each other: concrete and plastic. Grey and heavy, vs bright and light. What unites them is they both are formed in their liquid state. And the post-war years through until the early 1970's was a very liquid time. Until the rise of post-modernism and a preoccupation with surface over structure, the stranglehold of malleable (be it pourable, paintable, or sprayable) material reigned supreme. That it was often utilised in different ways: concrete, shuttered into broadly rectilinear forms owing to its weight, strength and effective continuity of masonry throughout the ages; whereas plastics in more fluid outcomes or modular systems, belies their shared history.
That they are both now widely recognised as the most significant contributors to the building industries climate emissions and waste means their wanton heydays are over, but their significance and value continues to be used, albeit more sparingly and thoughtfully.
A great place to start to understand more about the breadth of output in these mediums is the website Greyscape. We were honoured recently when they reached out wanting to write about Futuro houses and the story behind this Futuro and the journey its been on. Long may they continue to draw attention (and unusually in this age - detail!) to things that might otherwise pass us by in social media scroll. Depending on your outlook, the future might be grey, but the Futuro is very much Greyscape!