Norman Robert Foster is a very famous British architect who is known to be a pioneer of high-tech architecture in the United Kingdom. He was one of the first people to adopt energy-efficient construction techniques and infuse them into modern architecture, bringing up a newer dimension in the world of architecture. He is famously known for his sleek modern buildings intricately crafted from steel and glass.
He is the driving force behind Foster + partners which was initially founded in 1967 and later on Foster associates which has offices all over the world.
Norman Foster is also the president of Norman Foster Foundation, which was founded with an intention to “promote interdisciplinary thinking and research to help new generations of architects, designers and urbanists to anticipate the future.” The foundation is basically Madrid based but it operates globally.
Early life
Norman Robert Foster was born on 1st June, 1935 in Reddish, a small town in Lancashire. The family moved to Manchester when he was young and went through a struggling phase which left an undivided impact on Foster’s young mind making him carve his way to become a designer in future. Foster got an opportunity to closely observe designing and engineering which made him fall in love with the intricacy of how buildings were constructed.
After completion of his initial studies, Foster was lucky enough to land a job with the local architects, John E. Beards haw and partners. This is the very place which gave birth to Norman Foster of the future. He prepared a portfolio of his drawings and impressed Beards haw. He promoted him to the drawing department.
Later on, Foster went to the University of Manchester to study at the School of Architecture and City Planning. His talent and hard work was recognized in the institution and after graduating in 1961, Foster landed a Henry Fellowship to study in the Yale School of Architecture.
He earned his master’s degree from Yale and later on returned to his home country, England to start his personal practice.
Career:
Foster came back to England in 1963 and opened up an architectural firm with his friends Rogers, Su Brumwell and sisters Wendy and Georgie Cheesmen known as Team 4. One of the first projects that Team4 did together was creating a cockpit, which was a minimalist glass bubble that was installed at Cornwall. This feature became hugely popular among the later projects of foster.Team 4 parted ways in 1967 and Foster associates were formulated.In the initial years’, Foster collaborated with many American architects and worked on several commendable projects in order to create environmentally sensitive designs. One such building is the Samuel Beckett theatre at St. Peter’s college, Oxford.
Foster’s earliest works are all about exploration. He explored and created the idea of technologically advanced“shed”, for instance a structure which is supposedly surrounded by a lightweight shell or an envelope.
One of the first buildings which brought light upon the exemplary work of Norman was the Sainsbury Center for Visual Arts which comprises a vast, airy glass and metal paneled shed. The Hong Kong and Shanghai banking corporation headquarters in Hong Kong, put him in the line of aced architects immediately. The banking headquarters is a futuristic steel and glass office which is a major step ahead in his portfolio.
Famous work
As he had served in the air force he was an avid pilot and had a natural fondness for airplanes. He was commissioned to construct the new terminal building of London’s Stansted airport. The terminal which was opened in 1991 is a landmark work of high-tech architecture and it also made him win the European Union Prize for contemporary architecture also known as Mies Van der Rohe award.
Soon Foster gained the reputation of designing futuristic office buildings. HSBC Main Building in Hong Kong and the Victoria peak or Victoria harbor are a true example of his work.
Norman Foster worked with Steve Jobs till the death of Jobs and designed many Apple offices and also Apple campus 2 which is now widely known as Apple Park.
- Torre Cepsa, Spain
- Apple Park, California, USA
Personal life
Foster married three times. His first wife Wendy Cheesman who was also the founding member of Team 4 died of cancer in 1989. He was then married to Pakistani National Begum Sabiha Rumani Malik but after a divorce he married a Spanish psychologist Elena Ochoa. He has five children altogether.
Norman was diagnosed with bowel cancer in the 2000s but recovered completely. He also survived a cardiac arrest.
Honor and accolades:
- Norman Foster is termed as one of the most prestigious architects of Britain. He was made knight bachelor in the 1990 birthday honors and was granted the title of Sir
- He was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy as well as the Royal Academician
- In 1995, Foster was made the honorary fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
- He received a Sterling prize for the Bloomberg London building.
- Received Aga khan award for Architecture for the University of Technology Petronas, Malaysia
- Received Prince of Asturias award
- The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime achievement award
- Golden Plate award of the American academy of achievement
Norman Foster has not announced retirement but he has circulated almost 80-90% of shares in the market. He currently serves as the board of trustees at architectural charity Article 25. The great architect keeps on working hard for the sustainability of newer architectural assignments as well as infusing the modern designing into construction.
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