“With the forgiveness of the master [Le Corbusier], the house is a machine to carry with you and the city a machine to which you connect”. That phrase was said almost 60 years ago by David Greene, the founder of the English group Archigram. He was speaking on the presentation of the Living Pod, a capsule house that could be transformed into a trailer. The idea was that the structure could be connected and disconnected from the cities, forming the Plug-In City. Designed as an airtight capsule, the interior was small and comfortable, with multiple compartments. The Living Pod was one of many similarly utopian and daring projects by this group that seemed to have a fixation on nomadic and mutant structures like the Walking City and the Instant City.
However, Archigram was one of many enthusiasts of nomadic and minimal structures at the time. During the mid-1960s, Finnish architect Matti Suuronen began working on capsules he called Futuro. His invention — more tangible than the studies by the English group — was shaped like a UFO and covered with plush carpet. It had a large bedroom and a tiny bathroom and was sold for around US$12,000 to US$14,000 at the time. Buyers could receive it by truck (divided into 16 segments) or helicopter (already assembled), furnished or not. The idea behind “Futuro” was to take advantage of space-age technology and respond to social trends that were emerging at the time, such as more time for leisure and mobility. The home of the future, they believed, should be a dynamic, portable unit.
At that moment, the fascination with shortening geographical distances, which reached interplanetary scales, put human stability to the test. It gave rise to the emergence of a being freed from physical and psychological constraints, obsessed by images and myths of speed and mobility. The capsules materialized this desire. They were entirely dedicated to resting, as there were no workspaces, only the pure experience of the “pleasure dome”.
That future, however, never happened. In the case of the Finnish project, only 96 structures were built, much less than expected. Furthermore, the capsules soon became a symbol of retrofuturist kitsch, just like the other designs of the time that were lost in utopian studies. Even in the face of the failure of some attempts, from time to time, the idea of portability would reappear in the architectural environment through some daring and dynamic project, usually soaked in reflections and criticisms of traditional architectural movements and the way of life of society as a whole. Architect Toyo Ito was one of the renowned professionals who brought portable structures back to the debate. With her installations Pao 1, 1985 and Pao 2, 1989, Ito designed shelters for the nomadic woman, “independent, idle and consumerist”. Its structures were composed of elements that deviate from traditional domestic functionalism, representing the most inherent aspects of daily life (dressing table, telecommunications table and lounge chair). The idea of a minimal space made exclusively for leisure is revived through Ito's light structures, demonstrating that, in fact, the fascination with minimal and nomadic systems never completely disappeared from the history of architecture.
Nowadays, these minimal structures have taken on an exciting role, which not only fosters the idea of living in complete dynamism (still a pretension 60 years later) but also adds the immersive experience of inhabiting inhospitable places, where it is possible to live and contemplate nature with comfort and convenience. Better known as pods, the contemporary version of Futuro is still associated with space-age references and intergalactic themes gaining popularity as a new architectural experience. As technology advances, material and structural strategies are applied to small capsules, making them prototypes of many innovations, such as the Martian shelters made with a 3D printer by AI SpaceFactory for NASA.
If on Mars the capsules will be made with 3D printing, here on Earth the trend seems to be prefabricated, factory-finished volumes, with minimal modular units that usually include a small multipurpose space and a bathroom. And by multipurpose space, I mean any use at all, since the idea of “pod offices” has gained prominence in recent years, especially after the pandemic. These portable pods can be mounted in remote areas or the backyard as they are self-contained, meaning they don't need to be attached to any floor or wall surface.
Despite being used as an office, the utopia of leisure space continues to govern most inventions. The SeaPods, designed by architect Koen Olthuis, are interesting examples of small houses that rest on a steel pillar with three floating anchor points that balance the structure along the shoreline. Located 60 cm above the waves, they can accommodate up to two guests and guarantee a remarkable immersive experience. They will be installed in coastal areas, generating new real estate options for seasonal rentals or small long-term residences. In addition, another exciting feature is the fact that in SeaPods all waste will be incinerated into non-toxic ash and the residual heat will be used to heat the shower water. Speaking of that, homes get their water by desalinating seawater, achieving up to 90% reuse. The first SeaPods are currently being built in Panama.
From water to land, another similar prototype is SEED. In the middle of the Canadian forest, these capsules allow their inhabitants to hear the forest's sounds, observe the weather conditions, and examine the plants. In addition, sensors and special equipment connected to the trees were used to produce original music from the movements of the plants. Sensors in the forest are positioned on the ground and in the trees to transmit real-time data on tree health, soil condition and air quality.
With these examples, it is possible to see how modern innovation is deeply linked to environmental issues of nature protection. Based on this situation, it is clear that the capsules are bound to the natural environment through preservation initiatives or mechanisms that justify their placement in previously wild environments. In this sense, there are many innovative examples of housing capsules focused on tourism and leisure, not to mention the initiatives that have emerged to address the lack of affordable housing in different parts of the globe. Additionally, these initiatives help those affected by natural disasters, weather, or those who host war refugees, etc. As the possibilities multiply, the only thing left to do is wait to see whether that "future" once awaited will finally come to pass.
