(Norman Foster, b. 06/01/1935) has time always and everywhere - a baronet, a skier, an enthusiastic pilot and cyclist, a father of five children, an 84-year-old architect-machine. He manages to work on hundreds of projects at the same time, manages the Foster + Partners bureau, whose 1200 employees speak 40 languages - an ideally adjusted mechanism, whose product instantly becomes the standard: this is how it should be built.
NORMAN FOSTER graduated from the School of Architecture and City Planning at the University of Manchester and Yale University. Pupil R.B. Fuller and a follower of V. Shukhov, from whom he took glazed vaults and mesh diagonal metal structures. Since 1967, his bureau has received two hundred awards and won fifty competitions.
Since 1990 - sir, since 1999 - life peer and winner of the Pritzker Prize.
One example is the Masdar eco-city being developed near Abu Dhabi. Low-rise buildings for 40,000 residents, stuffed with modern technology, will be built crowded in Arabic style, which will keep the temperatures relatively low in the courtyards. Masdar City is not a social project, but as an "ideal city" it can become an urbanization model in any country. Foster has been cooperating with the sheikhs for a long time and closely, he is the author of the UAE national pavilions at international EXPO
Foster can be called a champion in many dimensions. It is unlikely that a Manchester boy from a disadvantaged working-class district, who moonlighted as an ice cream man, a baker, or a bouncer at a disco, could have dreamed that he would become the architect of the largest, tallest, longest and most expensive buildings in the world, receive all possible professional awards, become the hero of a sensational documentary How Much Does Your Building Weight, Mr Foster? and will be the author of spaceports, urban agglomerations and a world-class political figure.
New Mexico City airport project. Foster + Partners with Fernando Romero (FR-EE). 2014.
It rose to prominence in 1975 when the Willis Faber & Dumas Insurance Building in Ipswich upended the traditional office: solid tinted glass covered the curved walls to reflect the surrounding historic buildings, the rooftop lawn began its job of keeping warm, and the pool diluted work days.
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Apple Cupertino 2 campus, California. Foster+Partners.
Foster's main clients are people who are at the helm or, in the words of the architect himself, "hold the whip by the handle." He can be compared to Karl Friedrich Schinkel: in the 19th century, he became practically the official architect of the Prussian capital, and Foster defined the picture of today's London. Now few people can imagine the city not only without the ancient Tower Bridge, but also without Foster's Millennium Bridge, the city hall building with floors shifted from the vertical axis, reconstructed museums and, of course, the 180-meter skyscraper of the Swiss insurance company Swiss Re. This is the first environmentally friendly high-rise building in Britain, journalists caustically compared with the cob, gherkin, shell, cone, etc. For this project, the architect was awarded the Sterling Prize.
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Swiss Re headquarters, London, 2003.
The biography of Norman Foster went a long and winding path to his architectural solutions. The architect was born in 1935 in Manchester in a family of simple workers. The financial situation of that time forced Norman to leave his education: for several years he worked in the city treasury, at the same time he studied commercial law. After Foster left to serve in the British Air Force, however, even then he began to think about the profession of an architect. At the end of his service, the future architect began to work in a bakery, then at a factory and, approaching architecture, moved to a furniture store.
Only at the age of 21 did Norman Foster enter the School of Architecture at the University of Manchester. Upon graduation in 1961, he won a scholarship to study at Yale University in the United States. There he met Richard Rogers and by 1963 Foster returned to England, where, together with Rogers, he founded the workshop "Team 4" (Team 4). As a result of the joint work of this team, such an architectural style as "hi-tech" was born, a completely new direction in architecture for that time. The design of the factory building "Reliance Controls" in 1966 makes the name of the architect famous. And here begins his long journey up the ladder of architecture.
In 1967, Foster opened his architectural firm, Foster and Partners. And until 1983 he worked with Buckminster Fuller on a number of projects. One of the first such projects is the headquarters of Willis Faber & Dumas, an insurance company in the UK (1971-75). The interior layout, the escalators around the atrium, the rooftop garden, and the employee pool that acts as a heat sink demonstrate the ongoing concern for energy performance and the social aspects of the architecture.
In 1974, Foster took on the design of the Sainsbury Arts Centre, a visual arts center on the campus of Norwich University in England. The project is being implemented by 1978.
Bank headquarters in Hong Kong
The head office of the bank in Hong Kong "Hongkong and Shanghai Bank", also built under the direction of Norman Foster, is perhaps one of the first most daring projects. It is also the first skyscraper outside of North America. Foster developed a new feature of building skyscrapers without a central axis, using only the outer skeleton. This structure makes it possible to create even higher towers. During the design period of the Hong Kong Bank (1979-86), in 1983, the architect received the RIBA gold medal, and in 1994 - the same AIA award.
1990 brings Norman Foster a baronetcy and 1999 a life peerage. In the same year, the architect became the winner of the Pritzker Prize.
Foster and Partners has reached an international level, under the leadership of Foster, projects here are commissioned by the whole world. The British architect designs airport buildings, art galleries, commercial ports and entire cities.
London City Hall building
Norman's work was greatly influenced by both his studies in America and his love for Russian traditions. With each of his new works, he surprises the world and opens up a new perspective in architecture. The main style in his buildings is high-tech, which he himself founded and brought to light. Foster begins designing museums, one of the most recent of the 20th century being the 1999 Boston Museum of Fine Arts. A special pride of local citizens.
The start of the third millennium inspires the architect to new discoveries. He designs symbolic buildings in different parts of the world, focusing on each individual culture, but at the same time using the same high-tech style as a basis. In 2004, construction work on his new work in France was completed.
The French Pont Millau is taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
French Millau Bridge
Residential complex "Troika"
Each subsequent year, Norman Foster issues new projects in the most unexpected countries for his style.
It uses high-tech in Eastern countries, for example, the Malaysian residential complex of glass and steel "Troika" in Kuala Lumpur (2006) and the entertainment center "Khan Shatyr" in the capital of Kazakhstan took 4 years to build (2006-10). A giant tent 150 meters high, made of dark glass and aluminum, is in harmony with Astana, only emphasizing its oriental touch. The Copenhagen Zoo with the name House of Elephants in Denmark (2008) in the same style has become the most luxurious home for exotic animals.
The building of CITIC Bank in China (2011) and the UAE Pavilion for EXPO 2010 confirm the inexhaustible imagination of the British architect. The UAE Pavilion is an expression of passive design with a focus on environmental requirements. The very view of the pavilion displays a symbolic connection with the desert landscape, where all seven emirates are located. These are just a few of the available completed projects by Norman Foster.
UAE pavilion for EXPO 2010
For all his architectural time, Norman Foster and his firm designed and built over a hundred buildings for various purposes. Today, to receive a project from a recognized architect is a great honor for any country in the world.
Having done a lot in the past, Foster does not forget about the future. For each country, he has in store something amazing and, as always, unique. Ready-made projects of future buildings are waiting for their implementation and admiration for the engineering thought of the world-renowned architect - Norman Foster.
Tower Russia 612 meters high (Moscow). Tallest building in Europe.
Norman Foster- a world-famous architect who over the past decades has designed incredible buildings, as if he drew ideas from space itself. And today you will learn about the 10 most grandiose buildings of the brilliant Norman, who, for his architectural merits, was promoted by the English queen, first to the knights, and then to the barons.
His main design principle is simplicity, environmental friendliness and expediency, which he proves in his creations.
1. Mary Ex Tower in London
Because of its "interesting shape", this 40-story skyscraper has been dubbed "Sexy Cucumber" and "Erotic Cigar". The building houses the headquarters of the Swiss company Swiss Re and one of the main creations of Norman Foster was given the touching nickname "gherkin".
The Gherkin took to the skies, taking in thousands of office workers and winning several architectural awards. The skyscraper has become one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the world: thanks to the use of solar panels, it consumes half as much energy as similar buildings.
2. Hearst Tower in New York
Foster didn't build the gleaming tower that houses the print giants Cosmopolitan and Esquire from scratch: it grew inside the façade of an old building that dates back to the 1930s. Then the construction of the tower was interrupted due to the Great Depression.
This 46-story building in Manhattan was built by Norman Fostersnova with an environmental innovation: rainwater collected in rooftop tanks is used to irrigate plants and run air conditioners.
3. Viaduct Millau in France
This is one of the longest (2.5 km) and highest (one of its pillars is higher than the Eiffel Tower) bridges in the world, which performed an important function - it put an end to the huge traffic jams on the A75 highway connecting Southern France with Spain. Seven high pillars, kilometers of endless roadway, shrouds covered with special, triple protection against corrosion... A brilliant work of the architect, which has become a tourist attraction in France.
4. Wembley Stadium in London
The famous London Wembley Stadium, where the England national team plays, was also Foster's business. Wembley Stadium holds 90,000 spectators. The highlight of the arena is a 130-meter openwork arch, made not for beauty, but to support a unique retractable roof that can “creep away” to the east, west and south. Thanks to such a roof, a shadow is not cast on the field, and the grass grows faster.
Wembley Arch has a larger cross-sectional diameter than the Channel Tunnel that connects London to Paris.
5. Reichstag in Berlin
The German Parliament is one of the most honored buildings in Berlin. In the 1990s, it was decided to reconstruct the parliament building. The competition was won by Norman Foster, who, even here, could not abandon his "high-tech" principles and decided to build a glass dome over the Reichstag. Having preserved the historical shell of the building, the master almost completely redrawn its “insides”, removing most of the walls and replacing them with light steel structures and modern coatings made of decorative concrete and light natural stone.
Thanks to the glass dome roof, perhaps the best 360-degree panorama of Berlin opens up. In the same place, on the top, there is a restaurant and a garden.
6. Khan-Shatyr in Astana
This time, Foster allowed himself the most daring fantasies, creating a shopping center in the capital of Kazakhstan in the form of the largest tent in the world. Inside, there are hundreds of shops, a supermarket, restaurants, a large park, a spa center and - an amazing phenomenon in the cold Kazakh capital - an artificial beach resort with sand brought from the Maldives.
To complete the installation of the roof in record time (during three warm summer months), 650 industrial climbers worked at the construction site.
7. London Stansted Airport
The Stansted airport terminal, which is 50 km from London, was not built according to the existing rules for the construction of such buildings, but in accordance with Foster's main principle - "complex simplicity".
The design feature of the terminal is the roof, which rests on a frame of pipes in the form of inverted pyramids. The architect wanted it to fulfill its main function - to protect from rain and snow, while not preventing light from easily penetrating into the building, shaped like a huge glass cube.
8. Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
In 2000 due to lack of space for great creations Gauguin, van gogh, Mane, Renoir, Cezanne and Monet It was decided to complete the building of the museum. Norman Foster was called in to help, who tactfully expanded the museum, attaching a huge four-story wing to it and deciding not to invade the historical part of the building.
9. City Hall in London
Another London creation by Norman Foster, which most of all looks like an egg thinly sliced. It is located on the Thames embankment, not far from Tower Bridge. The architect explained the meaning of his idea by the desire to reduce the surface area of the City Hall and save electricity consumption. However, critics famously went over the "energy-saving" properties of the structure and even made the necessary measurements, proving that there is no saving at all. Disputes on this topic regularly flare up to this day.
The main inhabitants of the "City" are officials of the London City Hall.
10. Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt
The trihedral skyscraper "Commerzbank Tower" is the main symbol of Frankfurt am Main, having the "green" status of the very first eco-friendly skyscraper in Europe. On each side of the tower - at different levels, surrounding it in a spiral - are located four-storey gardens. Each garden embodies the flora of a certain region: on the south side of the skyscraper - Mediterranean, on the west - North American, on the east - Asian.
For all his architectural time, Norman Foster and his firm designed and built over a hundred buildings for various purposes. Today, to receive a project from a recognized architect is a great honor for any country in the world.
The British architect Norman Foster declared himself to the whole world as one of the founders of the high-tech style. His projects are always distinguished by the abundance of glass and mesh shells, the structure of which Foster borrowed from the famous Russian engineer Vladimir Shukhov. In our article, you will learn about the 15 most significant projects of the British baron.
1. Metro station "Expo" in Singapore
Metro station "Expo"
Metro station "Expo"
Foster's space-style Expo Station opened in Singapore in January 2001. The main building materials used in the construction of this facility were glass, steel and titanium. Tropical gardens are laid out around the station, and the maximum open space of the hall, located in the shade of polished metal roofs, greatly facilitates the movement of passengers.
2. Hearst Tower in New York, USA
The modern Hearst Tower complex consists of two parts - an office building built in the Art Deco style back in 1928, and a 46-story tower erected in 2006. The skyscraper is one of the greenest in the world and the first in New York City to be certified Gold by the LEED Energy and Environmental Design Guidelines. Thanks to the unique diagonal grid design with cut corners, the builders were able to use 21% less steel than most similar skyscrapers and use a lightweight steel frame.
3. Dome on the roof of the Reichstag German parliament building in Berlin, Germany
One of the main attractions of Berlin was built at the end of the 19th century. However, in 1993 a competition for reconstruction work was announced, one of the winners of which was Norman Foster. The main highlight of the renovated facade of the building is the grandiose glass and steel dome erected on the roof with a diameter of 40 m and a height of 24 m. Visitors inside the dome are fascinated by the incredible play of light created by the reflections of 360 mirrors. A special mirror coating contributes to the reflection and transmission of light into the interior.
4. "City Hall" in London, UK
The deviated modern City Hall complex was opened in 2002. The total construction cost was approximately £65 million. The building has a convex shape, which reduces the actual surface area, thereby saving energy consumption. The design of the building strongly resembles the dome of the Reichstag with its spiral staircase and oval shapes. The whole complex is surrounded by a long gallery. On the upper floors there is a platform for conferences, meetings and exhibitions.
5. Skyscraper "Torre Caja" in Madrid, Spain
The 250-meter skyscraper is at the top of the list of 100 tallest buildings in the world. Currently, Torre Caja, built in 2009, serves as the main office center of Spain's largest banking institution. Inside this luxurious skyscraper are numerous office spaces and conference rooms.
6. Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, Scotland
The conference hall, located at the Royal Docks on the banks of the River Clyde, was completed in 1997. This complex, designed for 30,000 seats, is an example of the architecture of the future. The shape of the building, striking passers-by, in addition to aesthetic, has the most important function of sound distribution. The acoustic system of the hall is one of the best in the world. The Clyde Auditorium is very popular - international conferences, large concerts and other mass events are constantly held here. Interestingly, due to the similar structure, many people compare this complex with the famous opera house in Sydney. Also, for its outward resemblance to a representative of the mammal family, the Scottish conference hall was nicknamed the "armadillo".
7. Mary Ex skyscraper in London, UK
The Mary Ax skyscraper, nicknamed the "cucumber house", was completed in 2004. Located in the financial center of London, the building is considered one of the most environmentally friendly in the world and has the status of "the greenest skyscraper". Such a high assessment of the environmental friendliness of this masterpiece of modern architecture, first of all, was provided by the system of natural air ventilation, carefully designed by the architectural bureau of Norman Foster, and the green spaces spread within the complex. The main area of "Ogurets" is occupied by numerous office premises of the Swiss Re company. The first floors are open to all visitors, and the upper floors are home to expensive cafes and restaurants with panoramic views of the city. It is worth noting that the Mary Ax has become the most expensive building in the UK, costing the Swiss insurance company a record 630 million pounds.
8. Millennium Bridge in London, UK
The opening of the pedestrian bridge was timed to coincide with the celebration of the millennial anniversary of the English capital and took place in 2000. Laid across the Thames, the steel bridge reaches 370 m in length and its width is 4 m. The unusual structure of the suspension horizontal bridge provides people walking here with stunning views of the Thames, St. Paul's Cathedral, the gallery of the Tate Modern Museum and Shakespeare's Globe Theater. London Bridge differs from most others in its easily recognizable appearance: it consists of two Y-shaped river pillars, along which steel ropes stretched along the bridge pass. During its existence, the Millennium Bridge has become a truly iconic object of British architecture.
9. Philological Library of the Free University in Berlin, Germany
The Berlin University of Freedom is one of the three most prestigious institutions of higher education in Germany. Within its walls, experiments and research are conducted daily in the field of the humanities and natural sciences. The building, which was built over 8 years and was finally completed in 2005, has an unusual oval shape of the building, causing most people to associate with an egg. For this, he is jokingly ranked among the masterpieces of "eggitecture" (from the English egg - egg). Many critics complain about the difference between the architecture of the library and the architecture of the surrounding rectangular buildings. Other experts believe that this discrepancy can be ignored, since the ultra-modern library complex forms the architecture of the future.
10. American Air Force Museum in Cambridge, UK
Designing a stunningly beautiful museum, Norman Foster paid tribute to the American pilots who died during World War II, as well as in the wars in Vietnam and Korea. The building, located in the British city of Cambridge, was built in 1997. The facade of the building, sustained in a modern style, resembles a huge hangar in its shape. Of great interest to the guests is the interior of the museum - here you can see the legendary American wartime aircraft, most of which are suspended in the air with the help of special cables, which creates the effect of complete realism.
11. "in Frankfurt, Germany
Headquarters of the bank "Commerzbank"
Headquarters of the bank "Commerzbank"
Headquarters of the bank "Commerzbank"
Built in 1997, the headquarters building of Germany's largest bank was the tallest in Europe until 2005, losing this honorary title to the Triumph Palace Hotel in Moscow. The height of the 65-storey tower is 259 meters (with antenna - 300 m). As with many of Foster's projects, the Frankfurt skyscraper was carefully thought out and designed for natural lighting and air circulation within the building. In addition, the architect organized luxurious winter gardens on different floors of the tower. This building is one of the few in Germany that uses steel as the main material rather than concrete.
Hong Kong International Airport opened in 1998. It currently serves about 90 airlines flying to over 150 destinations worldwide and is one of the busiest in the world. During the design of the entire complex, Foster paid special attention to the creation of a light and “airy” structure of materials that contributes to the penetration of light through the roofs and window openings. In 2005, Hong Kong Airport was awarded the Aetra Award as the best airport in the world.
13. Wembley Stadium in London, UK
The tent's sagging roof is made of transparent, highly corrosive, impact-resistant plastic to allow natural sunlight to enter the interior. The unique facility was built in the summer of 2010, and its total cost was $ 400 million.Norman Foster is a legendary veteran and one of the creators of modern architecture. This year he will turn 80 years old, however, even at that age, he continues to amaze with his incredible projects, among which it is worth highlighting, and.
The phrase of Buckminster Fuller, uttered by him during one of the many joint walks of the two architects, is laid down. What Norman Foster answered then, history is silent, but we know for sure how important the American played in the development of the future sir. Today, Foster calls Fuller his mentor and echoes his dictum, "Think globally, act locally."
"As an architect, I create for the present, with an eye to the past for an unpredictable future"
Moving in this local direction, the Briton built the largest architectural firm in the UK (and the 16th in the world) by the 80th anniversary. The scale of his achievements is shown by the fact that Sir Foster is the only one of the architects in the first thousand richest Britons. Although, the most significant here will be the ninth consecutive title of the most "desired architect" among customers, which brings us back to the conversation about the global.
Having built the architectural process within the company, Norman Foster can now afford to work on detached large-scale projects. In recent years, the bureau has participated in and prototyped the first drone airport in Africa. Together with the Swedish company Skanska, the architects are creating a commercial robot that prints concrete, and receive multimillion-dollar grants to research new designs and materials. Also in collaboration with Nissan, Foster's office is working on new models of electric cars and the concept of a "smart street" that allows you to recharge the car while driving.
"The quality of infrastructure determines the quality of our lives"
Such interest in transport is not accidental. Even as a child, Foster could watch trains for hours, and now for the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia he is developing a transport system, station designs and the design of the trains themselves. Bicycles are not forgotten. London's 250 City Road skyscraper will have indoor bike parking for one bike per apartment. The architect also proposed the concept of creating bicycle routes over the railways of London.
One can only guess which of these projects will be implemented, given that the architects themselves can not always influence this. In one of his last interviews, Norman Foster said: “An architect is a man without power. The only thing left for us is to publicly prove and defend our position.”
