Arguably the leading name of a
generation of internationally high-profile British architects, Norman Foster (born 1 June 1935) - or to give him his full title
Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank - gained recognition as
early as the 1970s as a key architect in the high-tech movement, which continues to have a
profound impact on architecture as we know it today.
Foster's architecture is remarkably
diverse; he has designed skyscrapers, offices, galleries, airports, stadiums,
parliament buildings, city masterplans and even a spaceport. Yet his work is
unified by one theme, identified in the jury citation for his 1999 Pritzker Prize. It is this devotion to the latest
architectural technology that earned him his place in the High-Tech movement,
with buildings such as the Willis Faber & Dumas headquarters and the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.
Foster's work continues to push the
boundaries of architectural technology, earning him commissions such as Apple's
futuristic new Cupertino Campus building and one of the world's first purpose-built
sustainable "smart cities," Masdar.
Since it was founded in the
1960s, Foster + Partners has been prolific, earning
Foster two Stirling
Prizes,
an RIBA Gold Medal, an AIA Gold
Medal and a knighthood in addition to his Pritzker Prize. Designs such as
the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, The Gherkin in London, and The Hearst Tower in New York have ensured that
Foster has secured his place as one of the greatest architects of the 21st
century.
Since establishing his award-winning practice in 1967 -
originally titled Foster Associates - the Pritzker Prize laureate has grown
Foster + Partners into an international powerhouse, with project offices in
more than twenty countries.
Receives thePrince Of Asturias Award, this is the second
fourth time an architect receives this award.
Norman Foster’s advice for the young :” Find Something You
Believe In”
Unless architecture is truly your passion, Norman Foster
thinks you should simply find something else to pursue. In the Louisiana
Channel's latest, the prolific English architect advises the young to live
"every living second of your life" doing what you love.
Source : www.archdaily.com
