walterknoll.deImage source: Norman Foster
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Designer
Norman Foster
Norman Foster (Lord Foster of Thames Bank) was born on 1 June 1935 in Reddish, Stockport, England. He studied architecture at the University of Manchester and earned a master's degree at the Yale School of Architecture. Back in England he…
Biography
Background
Norman Foster (Lord Foster of Thames Bank) was born on 1 June 1935 in Reddish, Stockport, England. He studied architecture at the University of Manchester and earned a master's degree at the Yale School of Architecture. Back in England he co-founded Team 4 with Richard Rogers, Su Brumwell and Georgie and Wendy Cheesman, and in 1967 founded Foster Associates, today Foster + Partners, a global studio for sustainable architecture, urbanism, engineering and design.
Signature Style
Foster is regarded as a pioneer of high-tech architecture: structural steel and glass, open-plan structural grids and innovative curtain walling. Walter Knoll notes that sustainability is the guiding principle of Foster + Partners, which takes an integrated approach to responsible design.
Notable Works
- Willis Faber and Dumas Headquarters, Ipswich
- HSBC Main Building, Hong Kong (1985)
- Reichstag dome, Berlin
- 30 St Mary Axe, London; Millau Viaduct; Apple Park
- Foster 500 armchairs and sofas for Walter Knoll, plus the Foster 501–503, 620 and table ranges
Legacy
Foster received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal (1983), the AIA Gold Medal (1994) and the Pritzker Architecture Prize (1999). He was knighted in 1990 and created a life peer in 1999, and his later work focuses on urbanism through the Norman Foster Foundation.
Collections
Products
Airline
Norman Foster's 1998 beam-seating system for durable, reconfigurable waiting areas
Foster 502 Armchair
Leather armchair with quilted loose cushions and a decorative seam, on a steel base.
Foster 500 Sofa
Foster 500 Sofa by Norman Foster, with leather surfaces above a rigid chrome frame.
Foster 502 Sofa
Leather sofa by Norman Foster with quilted loose cushions, visible decorative seams and steel legs.
Foster 503 Sofa
Sofa by Norman Foster with a floating base, back and armrests, in sizes for two or three people.
Foster 500 Armchair
Lounge armchair by Norman Foster with loose cushions and a rigid chrome frame.
Foster 501 Armchair
Compact armchair by Norman Foster with a firmly padded back on a steel base in chrome or black.
Foster 500 Table
Glass-top occasional table on steel legs, companion to the Foster upholstered range.
Foster 501 Sofa
Streamlined sofa by Norman Foster with compact proportions and a firmly padded back.
Foster 620 Side Table
Occasional table by Norman Foster with a tapering solid wood stem and a steel or leather top.
Foster 503 Armchair
Upholstered armchair by Norman Foster with a floating base, back and armrests, on steel legs.
