Norman Foster

Profile/CV

Norman Foster Biography - ArtLyst

Norman Foster was born in Manchester England in 1935. He attended the University of Manchester's School of Architecture and City Planning (graduating in 1961)and later, he won the Henry Fellowship to Yale School of Architecture, where he gained his Master's degree and met former business partner Richard Rogers.

Foster was naturally gifted and took an interest in architecture, particularly in the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier at an early age.

Today, Foster + Partners works with its engineering collaborators to integrate complex computer systems with the most basic physical laws, such as convection. The approach creates intelligent, efficient structures like the Swiss Re London headquarters at 30 St Mary Axe, nicknamed "The Gherkin", whose complex facade lets in air for passive cooling and then vents it as it warms and rises.

Foster's earlier designs reflected a sophisticated, machine-influenced high-tech vision. His style has since evolved into a more sublime, sharp-edged modernity.

Ken Shuttleworth, a senior project architect at Foster and Partners,who recently left the firm to set up his own architectural practice, MAKE Architects has worked closely with Foster to realize a number of his well known commissions.

Website www.fosterandpartners.com