Is Glamping the Next Vision to Archigram’s Endeavour of a Technological Landscape?

Neo-Futuristic architecture is a style that has been debated since the late 20th to early 21st century on how it is becoming more and more relevant today. It brings architecture and technology together to often challenge traditional modernist methods and broaden architects to revaluate design conventions and steer towards a more Avant-Garde impression. This idea of neo-futurism was thoroughly investigated by British architectural firm Archigram, where they challenged the idea of rurality and Neo-futurism together many times. They illustrated how we should adopt nomadism again and create areas of landscape living where we keep our technological comforts. Considering this, in recent years a luxurious camping activity is emerging to do just this, where we indulge in both technology and rurality. In this article, I will explore Archigram’s efforts to sway architects to think of the future, I will see if ‘glamping’ is a new standout wave of neo-futurism and if both these innovative aspects of architecture correlate with each other and have the same vision.

WHAT IS ARCHIGRAM?

The 1960s was a major standpoint in architecture for being a decade where many individuals created a new take on neofuturistic approaches in a time where building styles were starting to become static and generic. One group that created an impact was Archigram, an Avant-Garde set of architects that were disgusted by modernistic buildings. They mainly focused on future technology, creating a new perceptive reality through hypothetical methods and projects. Even though their work was temporary, they aimed to make exhibitions showcasing space, mobility and machinery, which they were trying to broaden the creative mindsets of architects. Archigram’s ideas of a ‘’virtual realism’’ are evidently in fact happening in present day as we see more and more attempts of futuristic skylines and mega structures, highlighting the very concept Archigram was trying to achieve in a world where at the time, transformational future was frowned upon in the building society.

ARCHIGRAM’S PROJECTS TO REDESIGN CREATVITY

Archigram has a magazine solely dedicated to the natural environment. They created issue №6 in 1965 which prescribes the need to be anti-architecture in landscapes. They believed that architecture had to be in harmony with nature and how nature has the capability to adapt and grow, architecture should do the same. They wanted to question the way infrastructure should not distract from the natural beauty of the landscape and therefore emphasised how architects should be alert on every aspect of senses when dealing with rurality. They also wanted to create a way for users to indulge in their technological commodities in fields and forests as they believed that this was the future. The magazine highlighted on how the UK has changed from the aftermath of the war and how architects now need to design ‘Plug-In Cities’ where residential units were all ‘plugged’ in to create a mega-machine which could be transported anywhere to fit society’s needs. This idea of a power switches for houses created debates within the architectural society as people questioned how stationary households had to be to equip them with their comforts. This enforced the emergence of the uses of newer materials such as aluminium and steel as opposed to the rational uses of materials in Modernistic architecture.

Archigram made many attempts to invigorate landscape with technology. One project was LogPlug & RokPlug. This project was created in 1969 and was their anti-architecture and pro-landscape attempt at revitalising the countryside. It was an outlet which housed service sockets to be used in conjunction with electrical and water functionalities. Instead of digging up the landscape and creating static boxes scattered across the forest, they proposed the idea of merging technology with nature and illustrated how we can embed sockets within tree logs. They proceeded to call them simulation logs and diagrammed how each log would have assets such as a cold-water supply, plug connections and telephone delivery lines. It is a unique idea without detracting from the natural environment. The logs are also equipped to promote fungi and moss coverings so even when not in use, the village of LogPlugs ceases to exist.

Left to Right: Cushicle and the development of Cushicle to Suitaloon

The Cushicle (1964) and Suitaloon (1967) were both conceptual design projects made by Archigram and were issued in their №8 magazine. They were both made to explore the idea of ‘’portable homes’’ which could be used both for transport and occupation. The Suitaloon is a development from the Cushicle, where the Cushicle was designed for the needs of an adventurer where they can carry a whole unit with them with all comforts. The Cushicle imitates the human anatomy as it has a spinal system which houses a heating system with food, water and leisure modules as attachments. It was meant to ensure that the user can always stay mobile and have their own personal enclosure, exploring the idea of an enclosed city. The Suitaloon added walls to the Cushicle which were inspired by the 1960s style of bubble architecture. The walls would inflate to create a cocoon with a variety of functions such as a plug for the means of plugging into an envelope of other Suitaloons to create a more communitive feel. This proceeds to question the idea of mobility and how we can move homes along with other homes across rural spaces while keeping our technological comforts from the urban world.

OUR OWN INTUITION ON RURALITY

Our fascination with nature is evident on how we approach the countryside and other urban green spaces. We like to believe that in extreme circumstances we would be able to survive in dangerous climate conditions whereas we are in fact blinded as we are so urbanised as a nation that in reality, we would not be able to. Our social environment greatly influences this as television programmes such as I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here! and Escape with Bear Grylls are heavily watched in the UK even though we far from a rural nation. It is a prospect of a ‘’what if’’ moment where we imagine a sense of adrenaline kick in when we think of rural nature. These chemical sensations can therefore illustrate how being outdoors is a virtuous ritual to oneself. Going back to camping as an outdoor activity, camping is in fact a very strenuous task and you would think that people would not partake in it as you are fully immersed into your surroundings with no real normality of your urban life. On the other hand, this can as well arouse a more freeing and autonomous approach of oneself which is far better than the stressful and busy life in the city. This juxtaposition of circumstances is the reason why more and more people are steering towards rural architecture than ever before — to slow down and be free.

WHAT IS GLAMPING?

For the people that want both the urban life and the freedom of rural nature but do not want to scavenge around in a muddy tent, there is a new trend where you get the luxuries of digital and physical comforts but in a rural location for temporary living. This new trend is called glamping which is short for glamorous camping. This concept combines a normal urbanised house, a tent and nature together to give people a sense of home while being outdoors. Even though glamping is a new trend in the 21st century which is growing popular, this type of conceptual living has been around since the 1100s. The Mongolian tribes, an Asian ethnic group, created yurts or gurs which were semi-permanent movable living spaces which

protected them from strong winds. This nomadic approach greatly emphasises how humans lived ‘’mobile lives’’. This highlights an evolutionary approach to rural structures as everything is easily changeable. This can suggest how people are biological designed to enjoy rural areas as we keep going back to green spaces and intermittently try to visit and inhabitant them for our own happiness and health. This can explain how camping, a raw and natural way of inhabitancy, has been a continuous enjoyable outdoor activity that has been carried out from the start of existence as we are biologically designed to stay outdoors and to embrace the rawness of life.

Around the 1900s, glamping attracted attention from wealthy Europeans and Americans who wanted to live a luxury life in the backdrop of Africa. Many wealthy individuals wanted to keep their home comforts of luxury with them while they were traveling so they would stay in tents in the desserts. These tents included many luxuries such as double beds and Persians rugs. This made society think that glamping was a high-class activity because of how authentic and expensive it was. In today’s world before tents were hotel sites, they were revisited as being a way for many festival goers to experience their home comforts in grubby music events as many people did not want the traditional way. This shows how, in every century, glamping has always existed and has evolved to suit and accommodate the civilisations’ needs. Even though it has done this, it does not accommodate the financial hierarchy of society as it is still promoted towards the upper class as a more exclusive and affluent way to live and holiday. It gained popularity from middle class urbanites that came from the Tony Blair government era as many resulted in leaving city life for a rural adventure. This enforced glamping as a more permanent industry as it is the middle-class individuals that are fuelling rural architecture.

FUTURISTIC GLAMPING SITES

A glamping site that caught worldwide attention was the TreeHotel in Sweden. The hotel has rooms scattered across a tall pine forest overlooking a river. The rooms have unusual appearances that are suspended 5 metres above the ground. They are accessed via ramps and bridges and were inspired by the film The Tree Lover by Jonas Selberg. Rooms include the Mirrorcube, Bird’s Nest, UFO and Dragonfly. They were all constructed in 2010 but by various architects, but all had the same philosophy — to create architecture like no other.

Top left to bottom right: MirrorCube, Bird’s nest, UFO and Dragonfly

The Mirrorcube is made from mirrored walls that reflect the surroundings. It is a fully immersive unit for 2 people including WiFi, double bed and a rooftop terrace. The cube is hung by creating an aluminium frame around the tree trunk and has purely reflective glass on the exterior. The Bird’s nest on the other hand is a room which illustrates how if camouflaged, architecture can fade and merge into the environment around it. This coincidentally reflects Archigram’s concept with the LogPlug as they also wanted to create architecture that is immersed into the environment. The Bird’s nest is harmonised with its surroundings creating the illusion that if the ladder was not there, the Bird’s nest would look natural and one would presume that it was there from before. The UFO however, is completely different. It gives the neo-futuristic feel of being completely alienated from the environment as when viewed, it stands out and makes you question how it was placed. All three abnormal structures correlate with Archigram’s idea of a ‘’virtual realism’’ and their argument on how architects should create the future of buildings and not the past.

WERE ARCHIGRAM’S EFFORTS FRUITFUL?

Archigram’s efforts to sway the architectural society is commendable as they illustrated many methods to escape meaningless buildings being discarded into beautiful rural areas. I believe that glamping if not directly, has a connection with Archigram’s philosophy in creating architecture that has function and mobility in their uses without hindering the landscape. We are living in such a digital age that even a glamorised tent in a distant field has 21st Century features such as WIFI to stay linked to the outside world. We are in fact ruining the sense of nature entirely as we are not fully invested into our surroundings that we forget that it even exists, and we are in fact destroying it through global warming. We as a nation should in fact enjoy our rural surroundings to its full, as in the next few decades to come, ‘’nature architects’’ will be introduced — creating man-made futuristic landscape habitats to take comfort in.