In the historic San Diego Design Center at 3605 Fifth Ave. on the edge of Hillcrest, Futuro Space is open to the public – and inviting local design leaders to dream big together.
At its core, Futuro Space is essentially a set of conference rooms that anyone can book for free. More than that though, it serves as an incubator for architects, artists, urban designers and other professionals to gather together in a place not sponsored by one specific company. This model brings the mid-century modern building back to architect Lloyd Ruocco’s original intention for the building constructed in 1949.
Although architecture and planning firm RDC, landscape architecture firm McCullough Landscape Architecture and property owner Graham Hollis of Blue Sapphire Holdings are currently sponsoring Futuro Space as a community resource, they are careful to keep what they hope will eventually become a self-sustaining nonprofit or even think tank separate from their business. RDC has a similar community space at its main office in Long Beach and bookings for the San Diego meeting rooms and workspace is conducted through a staff member located there, away from local interests.
Right now, the biggest conversation occurring in Futuro Space is about the redevelopment of the Civic Center. Sean Slater, AIA, Senior Principal at RDC, hopes Futuro Space becomes the headquarters for dreaming about all the Civic Center could be.
“The city doesn’t have a space for creative discussions and for creativity to flourish. That’s not what the city is for, and they’re not very good at it. Individual firms are trying to get the work; it’s a weird conflict of interest also to have a very general conversation [at individual firms’ offices],” Slater said. “So we’re [Futuro Space] actually going for a World Design Capital grant to study the Civic Center.”
Slater hopes Futuro Space is the hub of conversation around the Civic Center as well as any other upcoming major projects so design is at the forefront of San Diego’s future.
“How do we foster this citywide attitude about raising design, especially urban design? San Diego’s a great city, but nobody, nobody calls Downtown the center of their lives,” he said.
Ruocco once used the San Diego Design Center complex as a place to shape the city’s arts community alongside his wife, interior designer and professor Ilse Hamann Ruocco. The couple worked on the property, with showrooms and studios in which they invited cultural creatives to collaborate on San Diego’s future.
Futuro Space is named after the plastic, prefabricated house shaped like a UFO on stilts that sat in the design center’s parking lot from 1969 until 2002 when it was rescued from demolition by being moved to Idyllwild, according to CNN. The house’s flying saucer shape is now the logo for Futuro Space.
Since the design center is built on a hill, the top story in which Futuro Space sits is actually at street level. The two stories below comprise offices for RDC, McCullough Landscape Architecture and a few legal firms. According to Slater, as the legal firms filter out, property owner Hollis plans to lease to other design-related companies to restore the collaborative purpose of the iconic building.
Hollis commented, “We had a vision to return this space to its original purpose, serving as a center where design and ideas flourish. We are pleased to be taking that idea to the next level with Futuro Space.”
Since opening in late 2023, Urban Land Institute (ULI San Diego-Tijuana), the American Institute of Architects (AIA San Diego), the San Diego Architectural Foundation, and Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 (C-3) have all held meeting or events in the space. For C-3, it was an historic return since Ruocco co-founded the organization to oppose a state plan to widen Highway 163 through Balboa Park.
Made primarily of redwood and glass, the rectangular building with open floor plans epitomizes the California Modern architectural style Ruocco partially pioneered. With a wide glass wall looking out onto a senior housing building and beyond that the eucalyptus trees of Balboa Park, the tables making up a co-working area inside Futuro Space have a natural landscape in the background while still in the climate-controlled office.
Eventually, Slater believes Futuro Space will outgrow the top story, but for now a large conference room, smaller meeting area, catering kitchen, small office, workspace and a patio for events can all be rented for free.
Community and arts organizations interested in using the space should contact Dalane Nash, Senior Community Experience Manager for RDC at [email protected]. For more information, visit rdcollaborative.com/futurospace.
