AR321 3rd Homework

Ahmad Al-aql 1007811

How did Richard Fuller influence Norman Foster ?

Norman Foster is an architectural phenomenon, he is responsible for a dozen or more of the key buildings of the last 30 years, but also as the founder of perhaps the most successful architectural practice of modern times. Under his driven leadership, what is now called Foster & Partners has grown to an international firm with approaching 1000 employees, building across the world. He is responsible for the design of Beijing’s new airport, one of the world’s largest, for the Rossiya tower in Moscow, in contention to be the tallest skyscraper in Europe, for one of the towers at Ground Zero in Manhattan, and for a crop of new towers in London.

How much does the building weigh? This question seems to haunt every project Lord Norman Foster designs. Challenged by Buckminster Fuller in the ‘70s, Foster began to seriously investigate weight, energy and performance to answer this difficult question. And his architecture shows it. How much your building weigh, Mister Foster? about challenging you and the aspiring architect inside to provoke the status quo and think for yourself. Foster divulges his own idols and influences—Paul Rudolph, Buckminster Fuller, Frank Lloyd Wright—and how they thrust him into unfamiliar ideas and work ethics. Most importantly, find a hobby that teaches you more about architecture than architecture can. Fly airplanes and experience the rising and sinking air to understand climate and atmosphere. Take a pilgrimage across the country to familiarize yourself with the land. Compete in cross-country skiing marathons to train yourself to persist and become addicted to performing better. These are just some of the ways Foster remains sharp in his trade.

Norman Foster.

Most importantly, find a hobby that teaches you more about architecture than architecture can. Fly airplanes and experience the rising and sinking air to understand climate and atmosphere. Take a pilgrimage across the country to familiarize yourself with the land. Compete in cross-country skiing marathons to train yourself to persist and become addicted to performing better. These are just some of the ways Foster remains sharp in his trade.