norman foster - english

8/3/2014 Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The Lord Foster of Thames Bank

Born 1 June 1935

Stockport, England

Nationality British

Awards Stirling Prize

Pritzker Architecture Prize

Minerva Medal

Prince of Asturias Award

AIA Gold Medal

Practice Foster + Partners

Buildings30 St Mary Axe, London

Willis Faber and Dumas Headquarters,

Ipswich

Wembley Stadium

Projects American Air Museum at the Imperial

War Museum Duxford

Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames BankFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Norman Robert Foster, Lord Foster of ThamesBank, OM Kt. (born 1 June 1935) is an English architectwhose company maintains an international design practice,Foster + Partners.

Foster was raised in Manchester in a working-class familyand was intrigued by design and engineering from a youngage. His years observing Mancunian architecturesubsequently influenced his works, and was inspired topursue a career in architecture after a treasurer clerknoticed his sketches and interest in Manchester's buildings

while he worked at Manchester Town Hall.[1]

Foster gained an internship at a local architect's officebefore submitting a portfolio and winning a place at theUniversity of Manchester School of Architecture. Hesubsequently won a scholarship to study at the YaleSchool of Architecture in the United States of America.

Foster returned to the United Kingdom in 1963 and setup a practice, Team 4. Three years later, he foundedFoster & Associates with his wife Wendy, which becameFoster + Partners. His breakthrough building wasarguably the Willis Building in Ipswich in 1975 and he hassince designed landmark structures such as WembleyStadium and 30 St Mary Axe. He is one of Britain's most

prolific architects of his generation.[2] In 1999 he wasawarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, often referred to

as the Nobel Prize of architecture.[3] In 2009 Foster wasawarded the Prince of Asturias Award in the Artscategory. In 1994 he received the AIA Gold Medal.

Contents

1 Biography

1.1 Early life in Manchester

1.2 Education

1.3 Foster and Partners

1.4 Present day

2 Recognition

3 Personal life

4 Works

5 See also6 References

7 External links



Alfred Waterhouse's Manchester

Town Hall, where Foster worked as a

junior clerk.

Biography

Early life in Manchester

Foster was born to Robert Foster and Lilian Smith[4] in 1935 in Reddish, Stockport. Foster has no recollection

of Reddish[4] as his parents rented a terraced house, 4 Crescent Grove in Levenshulme, Manchester for

fourteen shillings a week soon after his birth.[5]

Foster's parents were diligent, hard workers - so diligent that Foster, as an only child, felt their heavy workload

restricted his relationship with them and he was often looked after by neighbours or other family members.[6] He

attended Grammar School in Burnage. He said he always felt 'different' at school and was bullied.[7] He retired

into the world of books and was quiet and awkward in his early years making faux pas.[8]

Manchester was 'one of the workshops of the world'[7] during his

childhood, and 'the embodiment of a great city'.[9] His father, Robert,worked at Metropolitan-Vickers at Trafford Park which fuelled his

interest in engineering and design.[7] As a youngster, he wasfascinated with engineering and the process of designing which caused

him to pursue a career designing buildings.[10] Specific interests

included aircraft, a hobby he maintains today;[10] and trains,generated by viewing passing trains on the railway outside his terraced

home during his childhood.[10] Foster was not keen on sports, butfrequently cycled to the Lake District from Manchester and back the

same day.[11]

Foster's father convinced him to take the entrance exam for

Manchester Town Hall's trainee scheme[12] which he passed in 1951

and took a job as an office junior in the Treasurer's Department.[12] His parents were pleased, but he wasdisappointed. Bored with office work, he ventured into the city to observe buildings during his lunch breaks andsketched designs while at his desk. A clerk, Mr Cobb, became aware of Foster's interests. Cobb's son was

studying architecture and his interest led to Foster considering a career in architecture.[13] After working in theManchester City Treasurer's office Foster completed his National Service in 1953 serving in the Royal Air

Force, a choice inspired by his passion for aircraft.[14]

Foster returned to Manchester, not wanting to return to the town hall as his parents wished and unsure of which

path to follow.[15] With 7 O-levels, he applied for a job at a duplicating office machine company and whenasked by the interviewer why he applied, Foster replied: 'mainly because it offered the prospect of a company

car, and a 1,000 salary.'[16] Foster was searching for a world away from his working-class roots which led the

alienation of his parents.[17]

Education

After failing to gain a job, Foster was led to John Beardstow, a local architect in Manchester. After a successful

interview, he gained a job as an assistant to a contract manager at the practice.[16] Foster was unsure how tobecome an architect, and if it was even possible coming from a working-class background where money fortuition was slim. Nevertheless, he queried colleagues at the architecture practice for advice on how to becomean architect. Advised to create a portfolio to hand to an architecture school, he took various drawings, such as



Foster lecturing in 2001

Foster ventured around Manchester

observing buildings. The art deco

Express Building in Manchester was a

building that intrigued him.

The Willis Faber and Dumas

Headquarters in Ipswich was one of

Foster's earliest commissions after

founding Foster Associates.

perspective and shop drawings from Beardstow's practice as inspiration.[18] Foster intended to submit thisportfolio to an architectural school in the hope of gaining, however inadvertently Beardstow was so impressed

with the drawings he promoted the young Foster to the drawing department of the practice.[19] However aftertrying to convince Foster to stay and learn his trade as an architect at Beardstow's, Foster declined and wantedto pursue a place at an architecture school.

After he was discharged, in1956 Foster won a place atthe University ofManchester School ofArchitecture and CityPlanning. Foster failed toget a grant to help fund hisstudies, and being from aworking-class backgroundmoney was at a minimum.He took up a number of

part-time jobs to fund his studies in Architecture.[20] His jobs in histeenage years included being an ice-cream salesman, night-club

bouncer[20] and working night shifts at the local bakery to make

crumpets.[7] He combined these with self-tuition via visits to the local

library in Levenshulme.[21] Foster took a keen interest in the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van

der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer and graduated from Manchester in 1961.[7]

Foster won the Henry Fellowship to the Yale School of Architecture, where he met future business partnerRichard Rogers and earned his Master's degree. Vincent Scully encouraged Foster and Rogers to travel in

America for a year.[22] After returning to the UK in 1963 he set up an architectural practice as Team 4 withRogers and the sisters Georgie and Wendy Cheesman. Georgie (later Wolton) was the only one of the team thathad passed her RIBA exams allowing them to set up in practice on their own. Team 4 quickly earned areputation for high-tech industrial design.

Foster and Partners

After Team 4 went their separate ways, Foster and WendyCheesman founded Foster Associates, which later became Fosterand Partners in 1967. A long period of collaboration with Americanarchitect Richard Buckminster Fuller began in 1968 and continueduntil Fuller's death in 1983. They collaborated on several projects thatbecame catalysts in the development of an environmentally sensitiveapproach to design including the Samuel Beckett Theatre project.

Originally they concentrated on industrial buildings. The turning pointwas the 1969 administrative and leisure center for Fred. Olsen Linesin London Docklands, where workers and managers are not

separated any more.[22] Foster and Partners' breakthrough building inthe UK was the Willis Faber & Dumas headquarters in Ipswich, of1974. The client was a family run insurance company which wantedto restore a sense of community to the workplace. Foster created open plan office floors long before open-planbecame the norm. In a town not over-endowed with public facilities, the roof gardens, 25 metre swimming pool

and gymnasium enhanced the quality of life for the company's 1200 employees.[23] The building has a full-height



The HSBC Building in Hong Kong.

Designed by Foster in the 1980s

View of 30 St Mary Axe.

The building serves as the

London headquarters for

Swiss Re and is informally

known as 'The Gherkin'.

The restored Reichstag in Berlin,

housing the German parliament.

The dome is part of Foster's

redesign.

glass facade moulded to the medieval street plan and contributes drama, subtly shifting from opaque, reflectiveblack to a glowing backlit transparency as the sun sets. The design was inspired by the Daily Express Building inManchester a work Foster admired in his youth. The building is now Grade II* listed.

Foster gained a reputation for designing office buildings. In the 1980she designed the HSBC Main Building in Hong Kong for HSBC. Thebuilding is marked by its high level of light transparency, as all 3500workers have a view to Victoria Peak or Hong Kong bay and the

Chinese mainland.[24] Foster said that if the firm had not won thecontract it would probably have been bankrupted. Foster believesthat attracting young talent is essential, and is proud that the averageage of people working for Foster and Partners is 32, just like it was in

1967.[22]

Present day

Foster was assigned the brief for adevelopment on the site of the BalticExchange in the 1990s. TheExchange was damaged beyondrepair by a bomb left by the IRA.Foster + Partners submitted a planfor a 385 metre tall skyscraper, theLondon Millennium Tower, but its height was seen as excessive for London's

skyline.[25] The proposal was scrapped and instead Foster proposed 30 StMary Axe, "the gherkin" due to its design which alluded to its shape. Fosterworked with engineers to integrate complex computer systems with the mostbasic physical laws, such as convection. Green, sustainable energy ideasinclude the complex facade which lets in air for passive cooling and vents it asit warms and rises.

Foster's earlier designs reflected asophisticated, machine-influenced high-tech vision. His style has evolved into amore sharp-edged modernity. In 2004,

Foster designed the tallest bridge in the world, the Millau Viaduct insouthern France, with the Millau Mayor Jacques Godfrain stating; "The

architect, Norman Foster, gave us a model of art."[26]

In January 2007, The Sunday Times reported that Foster had called inCatalyst, a corporate finance house, to find buyers for Foster + Partners.Foster does not intend to retire, but sell his 8090% holding in the

company valued at 300M to 500M.[27]

In 2007, he worked with Philippe Starck and Sir Richard Branson of the

Virgin Group for the Virgin Galactic plans.[28]

Foster currently sits on the Board of Trustees at architectural charity Article 25 who design, construct andmanage innovative, safe, sustainable buildings in some of the most inhospitable and unstable regions of theworld. He has also been on the Board of Trustees of The Architecture Foundation.



The Hearst Tower in New

York City.

Recognition

In 1986, he was awarded an honorary degree (Doctor of Science) from the

University of Bath.[29]

Foster was knighted in 1990[30] and appointed to the Order of Merit in

1997.[31] On 19 July 1999, he was created a life peer, as Baron Foster of

Thames Bank, of Reddish in the County of Greater Manchester.[32][33] Asa resident of Switzerland, in 2010 he stepped down from his seat in theHouse of Lords in order to maintain his non-domiciled status, and so be able

to avoid paying UK residents' taxes on income earned abroad.[34][35] Fosterwas criticised by some in the architecture world for not advocating theimportance of high standards of architecture and planning whilst a member of

the House of Lords.[36] Foster last spoke in the Lords in 2003 before his

resignation in 2010.[36]

He is the second British architect to win the Stirling Prize twice: the first timefor the American Air Museum at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in1998, and the second for 30 St Mary Axe in 2004. In consideration of hiswhole portfolio, Foster was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in1999. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers and winner of the Minerva Medal, its highest

award. Foster is a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council.[37]

Foster received the The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and

Urban Habitat in 2007 to honor his contributions to the advancement of tall buildings.[38]

He was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, for the University of Technology Petronas in

Malaysia,[39][40] and in 2008 he was granted an honorary degree from the Dundee School of Architecture at theUniversity of Dundee. In 2009 he received the Prince of Asturias Award in the category Arts.

Personal life

Norman Foster is married to Elena Ochoa, a Spanish publisher and art curator, Founder and CEO of Ivory-press. They have two children together, but Norman Foster has five himself, four sons and one daughter: JayFoster (son), Ti Foster (son), Cal Foster (son), Eduardo Foster (son), and Paola Foster (daughter).

Works

Main article: List of works by Norman Foster

See also

Thin-shell structurePeter Rice

SkyCycle (proposed transport project)

References



Footnotes

1. ^ Sudjic 2010.

2. ^ Chris Roberts, Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind Rhyme, Thorndike Press,2006

3. ^ Goldberger, Paul (28 May 1988). "Architecture View; What Pritzker Winners Tell Us About the Prize"(http://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/29/arts/architecture-view-what-pritzker-winners-tell-us-about-the-prize.html). The New York Times.

4. â b Sudjic 2010, p. 11.

5. ^ Moore, Rowan (23 May 2010). "Norman Foster: A Life in Architecture by Deyan Sudjic"(http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/may/23/norman-foster-biography-book-review). The Observer(London). Retrieved 6 October 2011.

6. ^ Sudjic 2010, p. 19.

7. â b c d e "The Guardian Profile: Sir Norman Foster: The master builder"(http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/1999/jan/02/books.guardianreview10). The Guardian (London). 2 January1999. Retrieved 6 October 2011.

8. ^ "Book review: Norman Foster: A Life in Architecture" (http://www.scotsman.com/features/Book-review-Norman-Foster-A.6357545.jp). scotsman.com. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2011.

9. ^ Sudjic 2010, p. 32.

10. â b c "Taller, higher, bigger, Foster" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2005/oct/24/architecture). TheGuardian (London). 24 October 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2011.

11. ^ Glancey, Jonathan (29 June 2010). "Norman Foster at 75: Norman's conquests"(http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jun/29/norman-foster-interview). The Guardian. Retrieved 4March 2012.

12. â b Sudjic 2010, p. 27.

13. ^ Sudjic 2010, p. 30.

14. ^ Sudjic 2010, p. 34.

15. ^ Sudjic 2010, p. 35.

16. â b Sudjic 2010, p. 36.

17. ^ Sudjic 2010, p. 37.

18. ^ Sudjic 2010, p. 39.

19. ^ Sudjic 2010, p. 40.

20. â b "Norman Foster: Building the future" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/742087.stm). BBC News. 9 May2000. Retrieved 5 October 2011.

21. ^ Thistlethwaite, Laura (30 October 2008). "Architect's Levenshulme inpsiration [sic]"(http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1076763_architects_levenshulme_inpsiration).Manchester Evening News (M.E.N. Media). Retrieved 5 October 2011.

22. â b c How much does your building weigh, Mr. Foster?(http://www.sendungen.sf.tv/sternstunden/Nachrichten/Archiv/2011/11/29/sternstundeneinzel/Sternstunde-Kunst-vom-4.-Dezember-2011), Sternstunde Kultur, Schweizer Fernsehen, 4 December 2011.

23. ^ "Lord Norman Foster portrait"(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/nationaltreasures/2188199/Lord-Norman-Foster-portrait.html).The Telegraph (London: Telegraph Media Group). 24 June 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2011.

24. ^ Treiber, Daniel (1995). Norman Foster. E & FN Spon. p. 76.

25. ^ "London Millennium Tower" (http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=102960).Emporis. Retrieved 10 October 2011.

26. ^ "France shows off tallest bridge" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/4091813.stm). BBC News. 14 December 2004.Retrieved 1 October 2011.

27. ^ Hamilton, Fiona (21 January 2007). "Foster puts 500m firm up for sale"(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2559000,00.html). The Times (London).

28. ^ Carr d'Art, Jean-Pierre Thiollet, Anagramme Ed., 2008, p. 134

29. ^ "Honorary Graduates 1989 to present" (http://www.bath.ac.uk/ceremonies/hongrads/). bath.ac.uk. Universityof Bath. Retrieved 18 February 2012.

30. ^ London Gazette no. 52543. p. 8207






33. ^ Minute Office, House of Lords. "Announcement of Foster's introduction at the House of Lords"(http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199899/minutes/991103/ldminute.htm). Publications.parliament.uk.Retrieved 29 April 2011.

34. ^ Glancey, Jonathan (12 July 2010). "Norman Foster in the Lords: what might have been"(http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jul/12/norman-foster-house-of-lords). guardian.co.uk (London:Guardian News and Media). Retrieved 12 July 2010.

35. ^ "Tory donor Lord Ashcroft gives up non-dom tax status" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10535852.stm).BBC News. 7 July 2010.

36. ^a b Glancey, Jonathan (12 July 2010). "Norman Foster in the Lords: what might have been"(http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jul/12/norman-foster-house-of-lords). guardian.co.uk (London:Guardian News and Media). Retrieved 7 October 2011.

37. ^ Design Futures Council Senior Fellows http://www.di.net/about/senior_fellows/

38. ^ "2007 Lynn S. Beedle Award Winner"(http://www.ctbuh.org/Awards/AllPastWinners/07_LordNormanFoster/tabid/1050/language/en-GB/Default.aspx). Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved 17 May 2012.

39. ^ "The Tenth Award Cycle 20052007" (http://www.akdn.org/akaa_award10.asp). The Aga KhanDevelopment Network. Retrieved 21 January 2009.

40. ^ "Petronas University of Technology receives 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture"(http://www.fosterandpartners.com/News/302/Default.aspx). Foster + Partners. 9 April 2007. Retrieved 21January 2009.

Bibliography

Sudjic, Deyan (2010). Norman Foster: A life in architecture. Weidenfeld. ISBN 978-0-297-85868-

3.

External links

Foster and Partners (http://www.fosterandpartners.com/)Bio at the Pritzker Prize (http://www.pritzkerprize.com/pdf99/Sec2.pdf)

Lord Norman Robert Foster (http://en.structurae.de/persons/data/index.cfm?ID=d000042) information

at Structurae

Interview with Norman Foster(video) (http://www.wtc.com/media/videos/Norman%20Foster)

Foster's projects on the map (http://proyecto.localizarq.es/etiquetas/foster-norman/), Guardian gallery of

16 projects (http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/may/23/norman-foster-architecture?

picture=362938462)

Building "The Gherkin" (film) (http://www.artfilm.ch/buildingthegherkin.php?lang=e&id=buildingthegherkin&suche=dvds)

A (video) tour of the Clark Center (http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2003/october22/clark-video-

1022.html)

Norman Foster's building Valencia Conference Centre (http://www.palcongres-vlc.com/index_eng.asp/)

Foster and Partners Projects in the Middle East (http://www.worldarab.net/content/norman-foster)

TED Talks: Norman Foster's green agenda (http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/174) at TED in 2007

Foster chosen for iconic redevelopment (http://rbth.ru/articles/2007/12/18/pushkin_museum.html) MikhailBode, Russia Beyond the Headlines 18 December 2007

"Driven designer constructs a global empire," (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7be3dd92-2b0f-11e0-a65f-

00144feab49a.html#axzz1Ee9VrCC6) Financial Times, 30 January 2011

"Norman Foster" (Review of Norman Foster: A Life in Architecture, by Deyan Sudjic)

(http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7aca44fc-6f65-11df-9f43-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1Ee9VrCC6),

Financial Times, 5 June 2010



Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=Norman_Foster,_Baron_Foster_of_Thames_Bank&oldid=598449044"Categories: Norman Foster buildings 1935 births Living people Stirling Prize laureates

Alumni of the University of Manchester English architects English designers Modernist architects

Pritzker Prize winners Chartered designers Foreign Members of the Russian Academy of Arts

Crossbench life peers Members of the Order of Merit People from Reddish

Knight Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Recipients of the Pour le Mrite (civil class) Prince Philip Designers Prize Norman Foster (architect)

High-tech architecture Knights Bachelor Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal

Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Recipients of the Praemium Imperiale

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