FUTURE SYSTEMS

'Future Systems' is a London-based architectural and design practice, headed by the couple Jan Kaplický and Amanda Levete toghether with Associate Directors Andrea Morgante and John O'Mara.
Future Systems shared many of their founding principles with the British High-tech architects Norman Foster, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. However, Future Systems tended towards more radical, less "machine aesthetic" buildings that were no less high-tech.
Many of their designs were strikingly original and organic, acting as a fore-runner of what is now known as bionic architecture, and mimicking natural structures such as a fly's wings, a tree's branches, or the insides of rocky caves. The designs freely adapted construction methods from other professions, including (most commonly) the curved monocoque shell structures found in aircraft design, car design and boat building. Some designs expressed the structural members externally in a complex rib pattern; some designs looked more like huge insects, than houses.
Into the 1990s the company found popular approval and fee-paying work, which led to high-profile projects such as Media Centre at Lord's Cricket Ground in London (completed 1999), and the Selfridges Building in the Bull Ring, Birmingham (completed 2003). The latter building, occupied by Selfridges department store, forms part of the redeveloped Bullring shopping centre on the edge of the city centre. It is the only part of the new development designed by separate architects and makes a striking contribution to Birmingham's cityscape. Part of the early 21st century movement towards amorphous, organic shapes sometimes referred to as "blobitecture", it may be compared to Peter Cook's Kunsthaus in Graz, Austria.

Contents

References

Further reading

Articles

Books

External links

References

★ Future Systems : The Story of Tomorrow, , Martin, Pawley, Phaidon, 1993,

★ Future Systems, , Deyan, Sudjic, Phaidon, 2006,

Further reading

Articles

★ Amanda Levete / Future Systems

★ Interview with Amanda Levete (Future Systems) / Design Miami/Basel Quicktime video.

★ "Interview with Jan Kaplicky-Future Systems" by Alessandra Orlandoni- 'The Plan 008' January 2005

Books

★ Future Systems, , Marcus, Field, Phaidon, 1999,

★ Unique Building (Lord's Media Centre), , , Future Systems, Wiley Academy, 2001,

★ Confessions, , Jan, Kaplický, Wiley-Academy, 2002,

★ For Inspiration Only, , Jan, Kaplický, Academy Editions, 1996,

★ More for Inspiration Only, , Jan, Kaplický, Academy Editions, 1999,

★ Hauer-King House : Future Systems, , Martin, Pawley, Phaidon, 1997,

★ Future Systems, , Jana, Tichá, Zlatý řez, 2002,

External links

★ Official website of Future Systems

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