Norman Foster and Inspirational Architect Paper Example

The aim of this research paper is to analyze Norman Foster and inspirational architect. Norman Foster is a well-known and prolific British architect acknowledged for his innovations in contouring and inner space management and sleek, modern designs of steel and glass. He was born on June 1, 1935, in Reddish, Stockport, although his family moved to Manchester after his birth. He had an interest in architecture, but being from a working-class background there was no guarantee that he would be would be able to pursue such a career. As a child with an attested interest in design and structures, he left school to work as a town hall clerk at the age of 16. He later worked in engineering in the Royal Air Force for two years ("Biography: Norman Foster | The Pritzker Architecture Prize" n.d). Then, he joined the University of Manchester to study architecture where he won awards for his drawings. This recognition prompted him to develop a lifelong passion for sketching. Later, he earned the 'Henry Fellowship' scholarship to Yale University's School of Architecture where he graduated with a master's degree in 1962 ("Biography: Norman Foster | The Pritzker Architecture Prize" n.d).

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In 1963, Foster along with Su Brumwell, Richard Rogers, and his wife Wendy Cheesman set up an architectural practice named 'Team 4'. The firm soon became famous for its high-tech architectural designs such as a 30,000 square foot factory in Swindon for Reliance Controls. The project was Foster's first steel building. It was a turning point for Foster and according to him, "the economic realities of the project dictated the need for speed and flexibility, forcing a change in our building methods" ("Biography: Norman Foster | The Pritzker Architecture Prize" n.d) However, the partnership was dissolved in 1967 and Foster and his wife founded 'Foster Associates'. His breakthrough came in 1970 when he designed the Willis Faber & Dumas headquarters in Ipswich. Wrapped in a curtain of dark glass that turns into transparent lantern at night, the design was innovative for its employment of escalators, roof gardens, contoured facades and blissful, nature-oriented interiors (Glancey n.d). Later, his firm worked on the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation headquarters in the mid-1980s. The building suspends blocks of office spaces within a visible structure in a gesture. In the 1990s he updated the Reichstag in Berlin. Foster Associates changed to 'Foster + Partners' in 1990 (Glancey n.d). In 2000, Foster's work was evident on the iconic New York City skyline. He designed the Hearst Tower, a 44-story skyscraper with a triangulated facade atop an Art Deco foundation.

Following his remarkable work, Foster has received numerous more than 400 honors, citations for excellence, and won many national and international competitions. Among the awards he has won include the 1983 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture, the AIA Gold Medal in 1994, and the Mies Van der Rohe Award in 1990 ("Biography: Norman Foster | The Pritzker Architecture Prize" n.d). Other awards include the 1999 Pritzker Architecture Prize, often known as the Nobel Prize of architecture, the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts in 2009, and the recipient of the 2018 American Prize for Design from Good Design Awards (Ayoubi n.d). Additionally, he has lectured globally and has taught architecture in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). Also, he has been the vice-president of the Architectural Association in London, a founding trustee of the Architecture Foundation of London, and a Council Member of the Royal College of Art.

Foster + Partners is a global practice now, with project offices in approximately 20 countries. It employs more than 1,000 workers and continues to handle highly-priced budgets. It made its name by bringing Fuller's utopian language to large-scale buildings, mainly big-budget commercial projects. The firm has been responsible for a remarkably broad array of work over the past four decades. Foster attributes his company's success in dealing with multiple projects to an extraordinary line of communication ("BBC News | UK | Norman Foster: Building The Future" n.d). His work ranges from urban master plans such as Frankfurt's Commerzbank, airports like Hong Kong International Airport, and public infrastructure such as the Millennium Bridge. Additionally, other renowned Foster-designed structured include offices and workplaces like Kuala Lumpur's Troika Tower, civic and cultural buildings like the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich to product design and private houses. Other iconic designs include Apple Part in Cupertino, California, the Philological Library in Berlin, and the British Museum's Great Court in London (Glancey n.d).

Today, Foster is frequently referred to as the "hero of high-tech" although he has never liked this label ("Biography: Norman Foster | The Pritzker Architecture Prize" n.d). He may be a Modernist but he is still traditional in the aspect that he utilizes structure to create space, with an attachment to technology that never goes beyond what is appropriate for the project. In particular, his modernism is grand and ambitious that seeks at every chance to harness technology to create ecologically sound, socially benign, and continuously spectacular architectural solutions to the problems of living, working, and traveling. Regarding this, he once stated that "technology is part of civilization and being anti-technology would be like declaring war on architecture and civilization itself." He also added that "as an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown" ("Biography: Norman Foster | The Pritzker Architecture Prize" n.d)

Also, Foster is less of a hands-on draftsman and more of a global manager now with a purpose of creating adequate time to focus on designing. Moreover, he believes that "the best architecture comes from a synthesis of all the elements that separately comprise a building." However, he acknowledges that "it takes a lot of effort to make a building look effortless" ("Biography: Norman Foster | The Pritzker Architecture Prize" n.d). Notably, Foster approaches design with a belief that workplaces could be better. In all Foster's projects, there are themes which he describes as "design processes" integration, regeneration, adaptability, and flexibility. Other themes include communication, economy, and ecology. He asserts that "Architecture and building have many diverse facets. It is in the end, a balancing act of integrating and somehow responding to all the needs of a project." He adds that "one has to be a totally committed optimist to not give up before even starting." In particular, he insists that "if you weren't an optimist, it would be impossible to be an architect" (Glancey n.d).

Foster is also environmentally-conscious in his structures. For example, in the Reichstag's design, he managed to incorporate a method of fuelling the building with vegetable oils. This minimized carbon dioxide emissions by 94% (Glancey n.d). Additionally, by eschewing traditional air conditioning in favor of natural ventilation in Frankfurt's Commerzbank cut on fuel consumption. Regarding Frankfurt's Commerzbank Foster said that "anything that reduces fuel consumption and cuts down on greenhouse gasses is good news!" ("BBC News | UK | Norman Foster: Building The Future" n.d).

Evidently, Foster's persuasive prowess has enabled him to amass the political support essential to win and pull off significant public projects such as the renovations of the Reichstag in Berlin ("Biography: Norman Foster | The Pritzker Architecture Prize" n.d). Apparently, the officials behind the project wanted a traditional stone cupola, but Foster convinced them to embrace a glass version with an observation deck. The deck allows visitors to look down into the parliamentary chamber as they take in views of Berlin City. This design was inspired by Foster's blend of futurism and democratic transparency. The democratic movement was evidenced by putting the people above the politicians. However, with customers that encompass billionaires, large cultural institutions governments, and global companies, Foster + Partners currently find itself on the wrong side of an American and European political fracture ("BBC News | UK | Norman Foster: Building The Future" n.d). Such an instance was evidenced at the polls as Brexit isolationism and Donald Trump's populism and the outcry over income inequality. But this has not slowed Foster down (Ayoubi n.d).

Additionally, despite all his successes, Foster still has critics. For instance, since visitors first ascended the helical stair in London's City Hall, it has been the center or ridicule for its resemblance to a slightly smashed motorcycle helmet (Glancey n.d). Similarly, his buildings in Astana, Kazakhstan have been criticized as follies constructed for a dictator. Other critics have acknowledged how some of his stunning buildings that glisten from afar break down at close range. The Millennium Bridge wobbled under heavy traffic but necessary modifications were done to stabilize it. However, even though it became confident and elegant, critics still saw its landing as plainly nasty. Additionally, like all architectural companies, Foster's was also rocked by the recession that in 2009, he had to lay off 400 employees (Glancey n.d). But, despite these negative reviews and economic downturn, Foster's vision remains highly in demand.

Conclusion

To conclude, Foster has come a long way. The 16-year old boy who left school to be a town clerk and to do his national service with the Royal Air Force is now a recognized and prolific British architect acknowledged for his innovations. Evidently, he never forgot what he learned as a child brought up by working-class parents in an industrial Britain. He asserts that "there is snobbery at work in architecture. The subject is too often treated as a fine art, delicately wrapped in mumbo-jumbo. In reality, it's an all-embracing discipline taking in science, art, mathematics, engineering, climate, nature, politics, and economics" (Glancey n.d). He continues to learn new things that can be applied to structures. He even quotes "I am not a creature of habit, I like to find things from unexpected sources. Everything inspires me; sometimes I think I see things others do not" (Glancey n.d). Foster's rise has been splendid. His bristling energy and relentless enthusiasm have propelled him into the architectural stratosphere.

Works Cited

"BBC News | UK | Norman Foster: Building The Future". News.Bbc.Co.Uk, 1999, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/330624.stm. Accessed 1 Aug 2018

"Biography: Norman Foster | The Pritzker Architecture Prize". Pritzkerprize.Com, 1999, https://www.pritzkerprize.com/biography-norman-foster. Accessed 1 Aug 2018

Ayoubi, Ayda. Architectmagazine.Com, 2018, https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/norman-foster-wins-this-years-american-prize-for-design_o. Accessed 1 Aug 2018

Glancey, Jonathan. "Norman Foster At 75: Norman's Conquests". The Guardian, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/jun/29/norman-foster-interview. Accessed 1 Aug 2018