Nationality Finnish Role Architect Name Matti Suuronen | Occupation Architect | |
 | ||
Alma mater | ||
Organizations founded Casa Finlandia | ||
UFO House/Futuro Flying Saucer Home, Matti Suuronen (Axis Video)
Matti Suuronen (June 14, 1933 – April 16, 2013) was a Finnish architect who is best known for making the Futuro and the Venturo houses.
Contents
- UFO HouseFuturo Flying Saucer Home Matti Suuronen Axis Video
- Das Futuro Haus Pinakothek der Moderne Die Neue Sammlung
- Early life
- Career
- Personal life
- Legacy
- References
Das Futuro Haus @ Pinakothek der Moderne Die Neue Sammlung
Early life
Matti Suuronen was born in Lammi on June 14, 1933. He graduated from Helsinki University of Technology in 1961.
Career
Suuronen founded his own firm, Casa Finlandia in Espoo in the West End, with 12 employees at its greatest extent. He designed petrol stations, kiosks, detached and terraced houses as well as public buildings.
Suuronen became internationally known for designing buildings using reinforced plastic, especially Futuro and Venturo houses. Suuronen made novel use of materials such as polyester resin, fiberglass, and acrylic windows for use in civil structures. A key element in his design was creating prefabricated elements that would later be assembled into complete structures.
Engineering critics have noted that some of these early works, such as Suuronen's innovative petrol station design near Lempäälä, suffered longterm performance problems due to the material limitations of early composites.
The iconic flying saucer design of the Futuro was developed in the late 1960s. While the form of the Futuro was linked to the aesthetics of science fiction, it stands as a significant early investigation of the use of plastics in prefabricated housing.
Suuronen also designed grain silos, sheds and town plans.
Personal life
Suuronen was married to pianist Sirkku Suuronen and the couple had three children. Suuronen died after a lengthy illness in Espoo, Finland on 16 April 2013. He was 79 years old.
Legacy
Suuronen's designs have been installed around the world, including such locations as the Centraal Museum in Utrecht.