Publication: HOUSE OF THE FUTURE

Visions of the future living environment have generally been synonymous with the active domestication of environments outside the enclave of the house. A trend that parallels the dissipation of many dichotomies that were characteristic of the modern movement:
Inside/Outside, Public/Private, Work/Home, Labor/Leisure, and others.
– Future Living Project

This volume presents an image of the future of our living environment through an examination of the ways in which the future of architecture and the city has been conceived since the beginning of the modern period, illustrated through plans and photos from past decades.

The original approach was to research and define the “House of the Future.” But after starting with the fundamental question of the nature of the future, it became paradoxical that the future of our living environment appeared to be heading towards a place where the concept of home expands to the point that we lose sight of the house as a physical place.

Modern images of the future illustrate a utopian environment facilitating a life of leisure, controlled and comfortable, like one’s own house. However, the history of the 20th century suggests that the house — which up to now has served as a primary mediation between humans and the outside world — has been subject to a process of dematerialization.

This conclusion is evident in phenomena today across architecture, design and technology. The history of the house of the 20th century now stands before us is a new and unexpected guise.

ISBN 978-4-90021185-8