Check out this beautiful documentary by First Run Features highlighting Norman Foster’s architectural inspiration, theories and products of his premier global practice.  As an architect who is constantly challenging the rules of the system, Foster’s career has produce magnificent structures from his iconic skyscrapers to the world’s longest bridge. The film “documents the way that great architecture is created, but does not flinch from the disappointments, and the set backs, and even the failures that come with it.” The film will be released on DVD and is having a limited theatrical release. Enjoy the trailer!

© Foster and Partners

Foster + Partners, Halcrow and Volterra, the team behind the Thames Hub proposal, welcomed reports yesterday that the government will be considering a Thames Estuary Airport when it launches its consultation to discuss options for retaining the UK’s aviation hub status. The proposal, which includes a comprehensive environmental management strategy, is capable of being privately funded and built within 16 years. Estimations for the capital costs include: a new £20 billion, 150 million passenger estuary airport; £20 billion, four track orbital rail line and utilities spine; £6 billion barrier crossing and tidal power generation that will power the airport with green energy; and an additional £4 billion for improving infrastructure.

On behalf of the team, Norman Foster stated, “We welcome reports that the government is considering the case for an estuary airport, and the extra airport capacity that it can provide, when it consults in March on options for retaining the UK’s aviation hub status as part of the nation’s aviation strategy.”

Continue reading for more on this update. read more »

Our friends from architectural videos told us about this video of Norman Foster‘s Humanitas, Oxford University Lecture which took place on November 28th. The lecture considers ‘Heritage and Lessons’ where Foster encourages us to imagine how differently we might understand the modern world if we could travel back in time. We would discover that the cathedrals, the castles and the viaducts that form our ‘heritage’ were once new themselves and were seen as quite alien at the time; and that many of the landscapes we revere as ‘natural’ were in fact shaped subtly by man — some the outcome of the Industrial Revolution itself. We would also find that many of the challenges we face now have been met before.

© Foster and Partners

Thames Hub continues to make progress since Foster + Partners revealed the proposal in early November. The £50bn project includes a £20bn high-speed Orbital Rail line around London; a new £6bn Thames Barrier and crossing; and a £20bn international Estuary Airport, with annual capacity for 150 million passengers. Comprehensive environmental management strategies have been made in order to minimize the impact of development and create significant opportunities for new wildlife habitats.

Continue reading for more details.

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© Markus Kayser

The future potential to build and realize the concepts of the human mind lie just there, within the potential of the human mind. For years the architectural world has been struggling to keep up with the ability of pen-to-paper and the recent advents in NURB surface computer modeling, algorithmic and parametric architecture. This in-return has led to the  building and technology industry playing catch-up with the recent advances in 3D architectural visualizations. In fact, as computer-aided design invaded these practices in the 1980s, radically transforming their generative foundations and productive capacities, architecture found itself most out-of-step and least alert, immersed in ideological and tautological debates and adrift in a realm of referents severed from material production.

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Norman Foster has launched proposals for the Thames Hub as “An Integrated Vision for Britain”. The self-funded collaboration between Foster + Partners, Halcrow and Volterra has produced a detailed, holistic vision for Britain’s future development of infrastructure.

The rapidly population growth and evolving global economy has put pressure on UK’s aged infrastructure. The study describes the Spine, which will combine rail, energy, communications and data throughout the entire length of the UK. The Spine is supported by the proposed Thames Hub, introducing a new river barrier and crossing, an international airport, and a shipping and rail complex.

The Thames Hub plans to maximize Britain trade links with the rest of world, stimulate job creation, and boost the economies of the Midlands and the North by providing direct connections to the cities and markets of Europe.

Continue reading for more detailed information and images.

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© Nigel Young

In the summer of 2009, we shared Foster + Partners and URS Corporation spaceport project in New Mexico. The structure, which is the first spaceport in history, will host commercial operations by private space travel companies, such as Virgin Galactic. Today, we are sharing an update of the project as the Spaceport enjoyed its dedication ceremony a few days ago. Designed to meet LEED certification, The 110,000-plus square foot facility will feature energy-efficient techniques such as earth-tubes that will pre-condition the air to reduce HVAC costs by 50-70%. The architects explained, “The sinuous shape of the building in the landscape and its interior spaces seek to capture the drama and mystery of space flight itself, articulating the thrill of space travel for the first space tourists.”

More images after the break.

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Photo by low.lighting - http://www.flickr.com/photos/low-lighting/

The emergence of China on the global economic stage has been discussed at nauseum in myriad publications. But this emergence has had an impact on the world of architecture, providing a testing ground where architects can experiment with new ideas about sustainability and urban growth. These new ideas have been realized in recently completed structures, and more are just beginning construction or have been proposed for the future. More on these new buildings after the break.

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This week, with the help of our readers, our Architecture City Guide is headed to Berlin. The twentieth century changed nearly all cities, but perhaps none more so than Berlin. From its destruction in World War II that left few historic buildings intact to its division until 1989 that brought together the architecture of two competing ideologies into one city, Berlin’s modern and contemporary architecture speaks to a past that seldom accompanies such recent additions. The city is filled with new and wonderful architecture that might not have found space in other cities in Europe. With that in mind, we were unable feature all our readers’ suggestions on the first go around. We will be adding to the list in the near future, so please add more of your favorites in the comment section below. Once again, thanks to all our readers for your help.

The Architecture City Guide: Berlin list and corresponding map after the break.

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“I was privileged to collaborate with Bucky for the last 12 years of his life and this had a profound influence on my own work and thinking. Inevitably, I also gained an insight into his philosophy and achievements,” shared Lord Norman Foster.

Recreating the legendary futuristic Dymaxion Car, Foster’s No. 4 version was a lengthy and expensive two year project, but was obviously a labor of love. Buckminster Fuller’s futuristic three wheeled car was brief, with a mere three actually built. Incredibly efficient the streamlined body with long tail-fin averaged 35 miles to the gallon and could achieve 120 mph. The Zeppelin inspired design with a V8 Ford engine was intended to fly as well, Fuller’s vision of revolutionizing how people traveled.

More following the break.

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© Foster + Partners by Methanoia

Foster + Partners’ City Park proposal has recently been selected for the 40-hectare masterplan for West Kowloon Cultural District.  Since this past August, we have been sharing the three competing shortlisted projects – OMA’s  Three Villages, Rocco Design Architects’ Cultural Connect, and Foster’s City Park – and your comments have sparked great discussion concerning the advantages and disadvantages of each.   The selection process for the cultural district was quite unique as the three projects, that were selected from 12 proposals, then entered a public consultation exercise.  For three months, the people of the West Kowloon district had the opportunity to review and comment on the projects, which then had a strong impact on the panel’s final decision.

Foster’s proposal is organized around a 23 hectare public par, with cultural buildings scattered along the edges to become a natural extension of the local community.  Foster commented, “This is fantastic news. I have been travelling to Hong Kong for more than 32 years, since the Hongkong Bank first brought us here. This project offers an extraordinary opportunity – it is unprecedented in its scale, scope and vision. City Park will be the catalyst to transform the city locally and regionally, as well as on the world stage. Our design is rooted in Hong Kong’s urban DNA, the distinctive character that makes it such a dynamic city. There really is no other project like it!”

Be sure to read more about Foster’s proposal on AD here.

© Foster + Partners

Recently reported in El Economista, Apple has chosen to team up with Norman Foster for its new Apple Campus in Cupertino, California.  Steve Jobs and Norman Foster have been working together for months developing the design for the new campus. The future headquarters will seek to utilize Foster’s innovative vision for sustainability, ability to perfect a building for its users down to the finest detail, and ideas to maximize efficiency in the workplace.

Sustainability, is reported to be a large focus of the new campus.   A network of submerged transportation tunnels is in the works and the campus will incorporate some of the Foster’s innovations already implemented in Masdar City, designed by Foster + Partners.  Masdar City is considered the first city in the world without cars or carbon emissions (capacity 50,000).  The R & D buildings will be multifunctional and will incorporate cutting-edge technology in materials and equipment as well as renewable energy resources.

Apple and architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson had previously teamed up to design Apple Stores worldwide.  In August we featured the London Apple Store and in July we featured the Apple Store in Shanghai, China both designed Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

In true Apple fashion, everything is hush hush, and it is all about the reveal.  We will look forward to seeing the result of the collaboration between Jobs and Foster.  Stay tuned to ArchDaily for the latest developments.

© Nigel Young, Foster + Partners

The Ribera del Duero region, one of Spain’s foremost wine producing areas, is home to a new winery for the Faustino Group.  The Faustino Winery is Foster + Partners first winery and was an opportunity to look afresh at the building type, using the natural topography of the site to aid the wine-making process and create the optimum working conditions.  The trefoil plan reflects the principal process stages, with the operational support and visitors facilities strategically located in the center of the building.  The public areas are on a mezzanine level along with a restaurant with views of the surrounding landscape.  Two volumes house the ageing processes and are strategically buried into the natural slope of the site taking advantage of the thermal cooling benefits of the earth.

“Bodegas Portia is our first winery, so we had no preconceptions about how it should work. It was an opportunity to start from first principles – to examine the different stages of wine production and to try to create the ideal conditions for them to unfold. The wine was the starting point, as well as the beautiful setting in Ribera del Duero. Using materials that draw on the region’s wine-making traditions, with public spaces open to the landscape, will enhance the visitor experience,” stated Norman Foster.

More photographs and drawings after the break.

Architects: Foster + Partners
Location: Gumiel de Izan, Ribera del Duero, Spain
Design Team: Norman Foster, David Nelson, Gerard Evenden, Pedro Haberbosch, Nadine Pieper Bosch, Ana Agag Longo, Juan Gabriel La Malfa, Luca Latini, Chris Lepine, Emanuele Mattutini, Josep Mercader, Jaime Valle
Structural Engineer: Arup
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Arup
Quantity Surveyor: DLE
Lighting Consultant: Claude Engle
Project Manager: Prointec
Local Architect: Prointec
Main Contractor: FCC
Client: Bodegas Faustino SL
Project Area: 12,500 sqm
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Nigel Young / Foster + Partners

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© Nigel Young, Foster + Partners

Today marks the offical opening of the first solar powered building at Masdar City.  The Masdar Institute (MI) campus is entirely powered by renewable solar energy, with a 10 megawatt solar field providing the Institues energy.  This solar field by the way is also producing 60% more energy than what MI consumes and its left overs will be fed back into the Abu Dhabi grid.  The post graduate students will be the city’s first residents, and the data from the sustainable technologies at MI will be surveyed assisting in the implementation of these practices in future Masdar City buildings.

Foster said:
“Many have dreamed of a utopian project that would be solar powered. Today’s official opening of the initial stage of the Masdar Institute campus at Masdar City is a first realisation of that quest. Its student community is already active, living and working in their quarters. This community, independent of any power grid, develops a surplus of 60 percent of its own energy needs, processes its waste water on-site which is recycled and pioneers many energy saving concepts. It is a bold experiment which will change and evolve over time – already it houses twelve separate research projects with potential world-wide applications.”

Norman Foster participated in the inauguration and was joined by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

More about the Masdar Institute campus following the break.

Architects: Foster + Partners
Location: Masdar City, United Arab Emerits
Consultants: Adams Kara Taylor, PHA Consult, Gillespies, Claude Engle Lighting Design, Acentech, Arup, decarbon8, Lerch Bates, Mott MacDonald, RFD, RW Armstrong, RWDI, Sandy Brown, Systematica, WS Atkins
Client: Mubadala Development Company
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Courtesy of Foster + Partners

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Zaha Hadid's Tondonia Vina Pavilion

“How Wine Became Modern: Design + Wine 1976 to Now” is a brand new exhibit at the San Francisco Modern Museum of Art.  Co-created and designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the exhibit was organized by Henry Urbach, SFMOMA’s Helen Hilton Raiser Curator of Architecture and Design.  Bringing attention to the wine industry and its integration with the latest artists, designers and architects the exhibit will be on display at SFMOMA until April. A main part of the exhibit is featuring the architectural spaces that house the wine making process, tastings, museums, etc.  Some big name architects who have developed designs for cutting-edge wineries include: Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Norman Foster, Herzog and de Meuron, Renzo Piano and Alvaro Siza.

Mr. Urbach stated that the idea stemmed “from an observation and curiosity about why there was so much activity around wine in various design fields. There are probably a score of world famous architects who have done wineries in the last fifteen years and they’re not doing dairy farms or orange juice bottling plants.”

Here at ArchDaily we have featured many great wineries.  Be sure to take a look at  Zaha Hadid’s Tondonia Vina Pavilion, Norman Foster’s Faustino Winery, as well as AD Wineries Roundup I and Roundup II.

Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Principals-in-Charge: Elizabeth Diller, Ricardo Scofidio and Charles Renfro
Project Leader: Ilana Altman
Project Manager: David Allin
Project Team: Kumar Atre, Donna Pallotta, Jose Vidalon and Chris Hillyard

Courtesy of RIBA Norman Foster Scholarship

The 2011 RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship was launched today and invites applications from RIBA-accredited schools of architecture around the world. A £6,000 grant will be awarded to one student by a panel of judges which includes Norman Foster and the President of the RIBA.  Regarding last year’s competition Foster stated, “we were greatly impressed with the breadth and quality of last year’s entries, but the proposals that really stood out for the jury were focused, setting out clear aims and looking afresh at a current issue. I look forward to seeing the many creative ways in which students will develop their research proposals early next year.”

First established in 2006, the scholarship is now in its fifth year and is intended to fund international research on a topic related to the survival of our towns and cities, in a location of the student’s choice. Past RIBA Norman Foster Scholars travelled through the Americas, Europe, Africa, South East Asia, the Middle and the Far East, and Russia. Proposals for research might include: learning from the past to inform the future; the future of society; the density of settlements; sustainability; the use of resources; the quality of urban life; and transport.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, March 1, 2011. Further details can found here.

© Nigel Young

Architects: Norman Foster, Foster + Partners
Location: 257 Bowery, New York, USA
Co-architects: Adamson Associates
Client: Sperone Westwater
Consultants: Buro Happold, Sciame, Edgett Williams, JAM Consultants Inc.
Project Year: 2008-2010
Photographs: Nigel Young

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Yesterday, we shared Foster + Partners‘ master plan for the West Kowloon Arts District.  Today, we’re bringing you Foster’s first office headquarters in Argentina.  Working with construction firm, CRIBA S.A. and local architect, BBRCH-Minond, Foster + Partners recently won the competition to design a new corporate headquarters for the Banco Ciudad of Buenos Aires.   This huge headquarters, which will occupy an entire block, will incorporate a series of ‘villages’ that are connected by exterior circulation routes through patios and courtyards.

More images and more about the new headquarters after the break. read more »

© Foster + Partners by Methanoia

Continuing with our coverage of the West Kowloon Arts District, here’s Foster+Partners’ proposal entitled City Park.  The proposal is based around a 23-hectare Great Park which will hold a sampling of cultural buildings of varying scales.  From the large Arena, Opera House and Exhibition Center to the smaller teahouses and small temples scattered throughout the landscape, the park will be a welcoming entity programmed to provide for the public.  Lord Foster, Founder and Chairman, said, “Hong Kong is a great city and this project captures what is important about its DNA: the civic spaces, the squares, the parks, the greenery, the avenues and the small side streets. At ‘City Park’ we have created a world class setting for a new cultural city for everyone.”

More images and more about the master plan after the break. read more »

© Foster + Partners by dbox

We took a few shots of Foster + Partners’ latest addition to the Bowery – a new gallery to house the Sperone Westwater’s growing collection from prominent artists of different nationalities and ages.  Sitting a few steps away from SANAA’s musuem, this new gallery’s CNC milled glass facade elegantly responds to its neighboring art museum.   According to Foster, the gallery is  “both a response to the dynamic urban character of New York’s Bowery and a desire to rethink the way in which the public engages with art in the setting of a gallery.”

Check out some photos after the break.

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