Bizarre Buildings Part 2 — Space Age Fantasy
I have a secret to confess… I have always loved Science Fiction.
Growing up one of my favourite shows was Star Trek. I was completely blown away by Dune, Blade Runner and of course all the Star Wars movies.
In fact just up the road from me there is a UFO house. This house was built by an Engineer in the 1990’s — Dr Harry Visser.
The house has a spectacular 360 degree view of the surrounding hills and has an indoor garden and one of the largest skylight domes in private residences. In 2002 it was voted the most extreme house in Africa.
There is parking for 15 cars and a wine cellar at the base, four en-suite bedrooms, a large lounge and dining room and a bar area with a jacuzzi.
The Futuro House is a remarkable piece of architecture and was conceived by Finnish Archiect Matti Suuronen in 1968 as a portable ski chalet. The image at the start of this article is a Futuro House in Adelaide, Australia which has been repurposed into a spa.
The Futuro is made of fibreglass-reinforced polyester plastic and is 4 metres (13 feet) high and 8 metres (26 feet) in diameter. The Futuro could either be easily assembled on site or transported in one piece by helicopter.
About 100 Futuro Houses were made and only 60 are still existing.
The Theme Building built in 1961 at Los Angeles International Airport is like a UFO that has just landed. It was initally designed by Pereira & Luckman Architects, then Paul Revere Williams and Welton Beckett. The building has a restaurant suspended from the arches of concrete covered steel.
The Nova House is another example of 1970s space age architecture and was designed by Michel Hudrisier and M. Roma for Studio Rochel in 1972. It went into production not long after, but not many were manufactured. It was considered too ‘way out’ in those days, but it’s portability like the Futuro House makes it highly desirable as a studio space or even for Air BnB.
The ‘space ship’ is covered by 180 blades of aluminium specially patented for this project. The aluminium blades are attached to a framework of galvanised steel arches which are bolted to an ‘Eiffel type’ base.
The ‘Starchitect’ Zaha Hadid designed a space age home for Naomi Campbell that was commissioned by her boyfriend Vladislav Doronin.
Villa Ypsilon by LASSA Architects in Foinikounta, Greece looks as though a UFO has been partially buried…
Then there is the Millenium Falcon House in Australia. The house named Alkira has attracted comparisons to Hans Solo’s spaceship. It was designed by Charles Wright and built in 2006.
The concrete, steel and glass house sits 11 metres above the water and has been designed to look as though it’s rising out of the lake.
And then there are houses designed by one of my favourite archiects John Lautner.
The Sheats Goldstein Residence in Los Angeles, California has been featured in many music videos and films — including The Big Lebowski .
The Elrod House in Palm Springs
The interior of Elrod House will look very familar it was featured in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever
The Hope Residence was designed by Lautner for comedian Bob Hope and his wife Dolores.
And finally John Lautner’s Chemosphere
I only have one thing to say — ‘May the Force be with you!’
I love Architecture. I think it’s vital to talk about all aspects of Architecture — whether it be planning, construction, design or green building. I have written 3 E-Books & over 110 articles. Please feel free to let me know if you have any queries regarding architecture, planning & construction & I will assist you.
I am originally from the UK and moved to South Africa in 1999. I started Blue Designs in 2004 after working as a driver for Avalon Construction on a luxury home in the Featherbrook Estate. In my spare time I am an artist and writer (The Naked Architect).
Phone- +27 82 399 0180
Email — clairecardwell@gmail.com
Website- www.bluedesigns.org
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Other Articles I have written include :-
https://medium.com/the-naked-architect/will-the-leaning-tower-of-pisa-fall-over-d9488f24fefd
https://medium.com/the-naked-architect/copycat-architecture-is-booming-in-china-87b2f4b9f628
Sources :-
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