Sir Norman Foster, winner of the 1999 Pritzker Prize, is perhaps the leading urban stylist of our age. His elegant, efficient buildings grace cities around the globe.
Why you should listen to him:
From museums and banks to airports and bridges, from apartment buildings to the Reichstag, in the past 35 years Norman Foster's beautiful and efficient designs have dramatically changed the character of cities (think of the London Gherkin) and landscapes (the Viaduc de Millau) around the world.
A common philosophy connects all of them, starting with social responsiveness and the use of natural resources (ventilation, light). Some of Foster's work has sparked controversy (such as his pyramid in Astana, Kazakhstan), but he has never ignored a chance to rewrite the rules of architecture, be it by tackling audaciously huge construction projects or by designing wind turbines and partly-solar-powered electric buses.
"Foster's style is seen as very much that of the new millennium -- clean, unfettered and environmentally aware."BBC News
Blog Posts on TED
-
Building on the green agenda: Sir Norman Foster on TED.com – March 24, 2008
From the DLD Conference in Munich: Architect Norman Foster discusses his own work to show how computers can help architects design buildings that are green, beautiful and "basically pollution-free." He shares projects from throughout his career, from the pioneering roof-gardened Willis Building (1975) to the London Gherkin (2004). He also comments on two upcoming megaprojects: a pipe to bring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, and Beijing airport's brand-new and groundbreaking Terminal 3, which becomes fully operational this week, March 26. This talk was filmed at the DLD (Digital Life Design) Conference, in Munich. DLD, hosted by publisher Hubert Burda and Israeli investor Yossi Vardi, and covers digital innovation, media and design. (Recorded January 2007 in Munich. Duration: 31:57.)
Watch Norman Foster's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Norman Foster on TED.com.
Embed this video: Use this code to run the video on your own site:
