Famous Norman Foster Buildings That Redefined Architecture

Top Lists, Exhibition Reviews, Architecture

May 22, 2023

In the 1960s, the movement to protect our planet was just gaining momentum. Although the situation back then cannot be compared to the one we have today — after all, the accelerated environmental degradation in the last few decades has significantly changed our planet — artists and architects nonetheless deployed their imagination and creative force to explore alternatives to practices that were harming our environment and raise awareness of the adverse effects humans have on nature.

Seen as revolutionaries by their contemporaries, they are celebrated today as visionaries who pushed for eco-friendly solutions and sustainable approaches that are the norm today.

Among them was Norman Foster, a British architect who has shaped urban environments worldwide for over half a century. Celebrating his achievements and exploring his influential oeuvre, the Centre Pompidou in Paris has staged a comprehensive retrospective that reviews different periods of Foster's work.

On view until August 7th, 2023, the exhibition is divided into seven themes — Nature and Urbanity; Skin and Bones; Vertical City; History and Tradition; Planning and Place; Networks and Mobility and Future — and features drawings, sketches, original models, dioramas, videos, and other archival material that covers 130 of the architect's major projects. A 264-page catalogue accompanies the exhibition and features 80 projects, including drawings and sketches.

Considered a leader of High Tech architecture, Norman Foster founded his first agency, Team 4, in London in 1963 with Wendy Cheesman and Richard Rogers, and in 1967 founded his Foster Associates practice, which would become Foster and Partners in 1992.

Always open to research and innovation, Foster integrates technical, economic, environmental, and social dimensions in his projects. Attention to nature is central to his practice, as he combines high technology with environmental concerns, especially in his more contemporary works.

"The birth of the practice in the 1960's coincided with the first signs of an awareness of the fragility of the planet. These were the green shoots of what would later be named The Green Movement. These principles may now be mainstream but more than half a century ago they were revolutionary and anticipated the reality of today," explains Foster.

Throughout the decades we have sought to challenge conventions, reinvent building types and demonstrate an architecture of light and lightness, inspired by nature, which can be about joy as well as being eco-friendly.

Here is the list of Norman Foster's buildings that redefined architecture.

Featured image: Architect Norman Foster, Foster + Partners architecture deisgn, le Viaduc de Millau, Millau (France), 1993-2004. Photo © Ben Johnson

Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters, Hong Kong

The revolutionary high-tech skyscraper, Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters helped establish the name of Norman Foster and his agency. The 44-story building is a demonstration of the bank's power and contains elements that are reflective of local traditions, such as bamboo scaffolding.

The innovative aspect of the building is immediately visible — its structure, which is normally hidden inside, is moved to the outside for all to see. The office floors are raised off the ground so people can pass underneath the three towers comprising the Headquarters.

Featured image: Architect Norman Foster, one of Foster + Partners projects, Inside view of one tower of Hong Kong and Shangai Bank Headquarters, the city of Hong Kong (China), 1979-1986. Photo © Ian Lambot

Carré d´Art, Nimes

The nine-story building, Carré d'Art in Nimes, has half of its floors cut into the ground to preserve a low profile in relation to the surrounding buildings. The challenge was to integrate the new with the old, as the side of the building faces a well-preserved Roman temple.

Following the requirements for the project, the front of the building is transformed into a pedestrian square, creating a new environment for both the temple and the newly-built cultural institution.

Featured image: Foster + Partners, Carré d'Art, Nîmes (France), 1984-1993. Photo © Foster + Partners

Great Court, British Museum, London

First envisioned as a garden, the Great Court of the British Museum was transformed into the largest covered square in Europe in 2000. The £100 million project was envisioned with three aims, to reveal hidden spaces, revise the old ones, and create new spaces for visitors.

Named Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, it occupies two acres and is covered with a roof made of 3,312 individual panels of glass, each having a different shape.

Featured image: Foster + Partners, Great Court at the British Museum, London (UK), 1994-2000. Photo © Nigel Young / Foster + Partner

Millennium Bridge, London

Another of London's architectural attractions, Millennium Bridge spans 320 meters and is a unique construction that combines art, architecture, and engineering. It was developed in collaboration with the British sculptor Anthony Caro and is still the only pedestrian bridge in the city.

In order to provide pedestrians with an uninterrupted panoramic view, the bridge's cables do not rise above 2.3 meters over the deck.

Featured image: Foster + Partners, Millennium Bridge, London (UK), 1996-2000. Photo © Nigel Young / Foster + Partners

Apple Park, Cupertino

The second largest office building in the world is Apple Park, completed in 2017. The Park sprawls over 175 acres of land and has 2.8 million square feet in space over four stories. It houses around 12,000 employees daily.

The Park is environmentally-friendly, 100% powered by renewable energy, and has around 9,000 trees on site, including some indigenous species. The main campus is called The Ring, and its infinite loop structure was envisioned by Steve Jobs.

Featured image: Design by Norman Foster + Partners, Apple park, Cupertino (USA), 2009-2017. Photo © Nigel Young / Foster +Partners

Millau Viaduct, Millau

Located in southern France, the Millau Viaduct provides a direct, high-speed route from Paris to the Mediterranean coast and further on to Barcelona. The bridge is a cable-stayed, masted structure that appears transparent and delicate. It broke several records after its construction — it has the highest pylons in the world, it is the highest road bridge deck in Europe, and it is taller than Eiffel Tower.

Featured image: Foster + Partners, le Viaduc de Millau, Millau (France), 1993-2004. Photo : © Daniel Jamme / Eiffage

30 St Mary Axe, London

Headlined as the most recognised silhouette in the 21st century, the 30 St Mary Axe building, or the Gherkin, is London's first ecological skyscraper and is an example of well-being, sustainability, and innovation.

Located in the city's commercial core, it is 41 stories high and has 46,400 square meters of office space. The building's shape widens as it rises and tapers towards the top, with a unique system of natural ventilation providing an optimal work environment.

Queen Alia International Airport, Amman

Queen Alia International Airport features a highly efficient passive design inspired by local traditions and is built on a flexible modular approach that allows expansions in the future.

Built in a climate where day and night temperatures vary greatly, the airport is predominantly constructed from concrete, providing passive environmental control and featuring a tessellated roof that shades the facades. The geometrical pattern of the structure is based on traditional Islamic décor.

Featured image: Foster + Partners, Queen Alia International Airport, Amman (Jordan), 2005-2013. Photo © Nigel Young Foster + Partners

Bloomberg Headquarters, London

Bloomberg Headquarters, comprising two buildings connected by bridges, occupies a whole city block, or 3.2 acres. The attractive façade is defined by a structural sandstone frame and has bronze fins that shade the glazing. The fins are also part of the building's natural ventilation system.

Crucial to this project is art, with several site-specific installations spread around the buildings. Among them is Cristina Iglesias's sculpture Forgotten Streams, reminiscent of the ancient Walbrook River that once flowed through the area.

425 Park Avenue, New York

The first office building on Park Avenue built in 50 years, 425 Park Avenue, is a 47-story skyscraper whose external structure allows for column-free interiors. The building pushes the boundaries of workplace design and reflects the spirit of the city, with externally planted terraces creating a healthy working environment.

The building is vertically divided into three sections, including a 7-story base, topped by a central section, and the final third part containing 'premium' floors. Between each of the three areas are double-height spaces hosting different curated amenities such as private rooms for meditation, a club, and a café.

Among other buildings Norman Foster designed over the years are the Reichstag in Berlin, the Narbo Via museum in France, and Century Tower in Tokyo.

Can We Help?

Have a question or a technical issue? Want to learn more about our services to art dealers? Let us know and you'll hear from us within the next 24 hours.