Future Systems was a London-based

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

and design practice, formerly headed by Directors

Jan Kaplický Jan Kaplický (; ; 18 April 1937 – 14 January 2009) was a Neofuturistic Czech architect who spent a significant part of his life in the United Kingdom. He was the leading architect behind the innovative design office, Future Systems. He was bes ...

and Amanda Levete. Future Systems was founded by Kaplický and David Nixon after working with

Denys Lasdun Sir Denys Louis Lasdun, CH, CBE, RA (8 September 1914, Kensington, London – 11 January 2001, Fulham, London) was an eminent English architect, the son of Nathan Lasdun (1879–1920) and Julie ('' née'' Abrahams; 1884–1963). Probably his ...

Norman Foster Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (20 ...

, and

Richard Rogers Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (23 July 1933 – 18 December 2021) was a British architect noted for his modernist and Functionalism (architecture), functionalist designs in high-tech architecture. He was a senior partner a ...

in 1979. The work of Future Systems can be classified within the British high-tech architects as either

bionic architecture Bionic architecture is a contemporary movement that studies the physiological, behavioural, and structural adaptions of biological organisms as a source of inspiration for designing and constructing expressive buildings. These structures are desi ...

or amorphous, organic shapes sometimes referred to as "

blobitecture Blobitecture (from blob architecture), blobism and blobismus are terms for a movement in architecture in which buildings have an organic, amoeba-shaped, building form. Though the term ''blob architecture'' was in vogue already in the mid-1990s, t ...

". "Compared to his peers, Kaplicky was the avant-garde incarnate, relentlessly pursuing the new new thing, refusing to settle into some predictable, and comfortable, architectural niche."

Practice

Future Systems proposals adapted construction methods from other professions, including (most commonly) the curved

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

shell structures found in aircraft design,

car design Automotive design is the process of developing the appearance (and to some extent the ergonomics) of motor vehicles - including automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans. The functional design and development of a modern moto ...

and

boat building Boat building is the design and construction of boats and their systems. This includes at a minimum a hull, with propulsion, mechanical, navigation, safety and other systems as a craft requires. Construction materials and methods Wood W ...

. In the 1990s the company moved from theoretical projects to fee-paying work with projects such as the "spacecraft-like" Media Centre at

Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...

in London (completed 1999), and the Selfridges Building (completed 2003). For Lord's, Kaplicky received the

Stirling Prize The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The S ...

. The

Selfridges Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge ...

department store is a prime example of the early 21st century movement referred to as "

", and has been compared to

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishme ...

's Kunsthaus in

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

, Austria. After Future Systems won the Stirling Prize, the firm received larger commissions including the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena, Italy (2009) and the unbuilt new

Czech National Library The National Library of the Czech Republic ( cs, Národní knihovna České republiky) is the central library of the Czech Republic. It is directed by the Ministry of Culture. The library's main building is located in the historical Clementinum b ...

. In 2008 Kaplický and Levete split the firm. Kaplický took the firm name and some staff to the Czech republic, and Levete would take a proposed new headquarters for News Corporation in east London and a commission for a hotel and retail complex in Bangkok, Thailand, along with most of the staff – between 35 and 45 people.

History

1979 Founded by Jan Kaplicky and David Nixon while working at Foster Associates. 1989 Joined by Amanda Levete who arrives from Richard Rogers & Partners to become a partner. 1994 Completed the well received Hauer-King house in Islington. 1999 Won the Stirling Prize for Lord's Cricket Ground media centre. 2003 Completed the Selfridges building at the regenerated Bull Ring shopping centre in Birmingham. 2007 Won the commission for the controversial Czech National Library. 2008 Split into two practices after Kaplicky and Levete officially separate as business partners. 2008 Submits design of London Routemaster bus. 2008 Czech National Library project cancelled by Prague authorities. 2009 Jan Kaplický dies on 14 January 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic. A month later the final few staff working for Kaplický/Future Systems in Levete's offices were let go.

Gallery

Image:Nat West media centre cropped.jpg, The Media Centre,

, London Image:Birmingham Selfridges building.jpg,

Building, the Bull Ring,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

File:Birmingham churches and Selfridges.JPG, The Selfridges Building from a distance Image:selfridges interior1.jpg, Interior of the Selfridges Building Image:SelfridgesBhamFront.jpg, Front view

References

Sources

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External links

Official website of Future Systems
*

{{Authority control Architecture firms based in London Stirling Prize laureates Design companies established in 1979 Companies disestablished in 2009 1979 establishments in England 2009 disestablishments in England British companies disestablished in 2009 British companies established in 1979

Practice

History

Gallery

References

Sources

Further reading

Articles

Books

External links