For example, 3-D printing and experimenting with new materials…are similar to the experimentation with injection molding and plastic furniture in the 1960s.” “Everything associated with Space Age design, like clean lines, holistic design, technology, modern materials, and pop culture, continues to be relevant today,” Ms. More: Two Lavish Branded Residences in Japan to Hit the Auction Block Now that billionaires and public figures, from Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson to William Shatner and Michael Strahan, have shown that space travel for nonastronauts is possible, a reinvigorated interest in the universe beyond Earth may inspire fresh interest in futuristic architecture, experts say. It sounded like a fantasy then, but space travel for civilians was part of the idealized future. Touzet, was all about the future and leaving the past and wars behind. The spirit of the 1950s and ’60s, says Ms. “Unlike Europe, where the focus was on rebuilding after the war, American architects were part of a ‘can-do’ moment based on an economic boom and excitement over new technology.” Both are architects and principals of Touzet Studio, whose work is influenced by that era. “Space Age architecture was part of a postwar modernist phase of American optimism in the 1950s and 1960s,” says Jacqueline Gonzalez Touzet, who lives in a 1950s Space Age house with her husband, Carlos Prio-Touzet, in Coral Gables, Florida. In both examples, Lautner incorporated natural elements from the site into his design, such as large rocks that are part of the interior of Elrod House. Similarly, his 1968 “Elrod House” in Palm Springs features a UFO-like circular concrete canopy above the living room, and curved-glass walls. In 1960, John Lautner’s “Chemosphere” house in Los Angeles, an octagonal residence that sits on a concrete column, was considered the epitome of modern design. Things like open spaces, connection to the natural site, and big expanses of glass are elements of Space Age architecture that resonate with people today, too.” “The renewed interest in space and technology and futurism is something people address in the space they live in, in the form of design. “Popular culture always influences architecture,” says Michele Grace Hottel, founder of Michele Grace Hottel Architects in La Mesa, California. More: Pharrell Williams Sells Hollywood Home With a Skate Park and Outdoor Theater for $9.2 Million Even though we don’t all live in spaceships like the Jetsons, contemporary residences use elements of those earlier homes, such as curved walls, floor-to-ceiling glass, and ever more sci-fi-like smart-home controls. Technological improvements have made futuristic architecture easier to build. Those trends were considered ahead of their time and remain appreciated for fluid and energetic designs that are still relevant to today’s architectural styles, Ms. Atomic Age architecture was based on the understanding that protons and neutrons are the components of something larger-just like you take building blocks and the sum becomes larger than the individual components.” Space Age design was influenced by popular culture and the technology that allowed for things like plastic-injected furniture. “Architectural movements influence each other. “Design evolves in the context of culture,” says Bidisha Sinha, associate director at Zaha Hadid Architects in London. Now that space travel for the layman is becoming a reality, we can expect to see architects and designers gathering inspiration from the new boom and from advancements in materials and technology. In the mid-20th century, astronauts were as glamorous as movie stars, while TV shows such as The Jetsons and films like 2001: A Space Odyssey invented worlds with homes that resembled planets and spaceships. Whether you call them Space Age or Atomic Age, the homes built in the 1950s and 1960s by architect John Lautner and others represented a new wave of modern architecture inspired by space exploration and futuristic ideas.
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