Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank quotes

Since Stonehenge, architects have always been at the cutting edge of technology. And you can't separate technology from the humanistic and spiritual content of a building. (Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank)
I hope that any expansion of London will learn from the planning examples of some of its most desirable areas such as Chelsea, Notting Hill, Belgravia and Mayfair. All are characterised by high density and a generosity of green spaces. They are all pedestrian-friendly with shops, entertainment, restaurants and pubs within easy walking distance. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
The most amazing lesson in aerodynamics I ever had was the day I climbed a thermal in a glider at the same time as an eagle. I witnessed, close up, effortlessness and lightness combined with strength, precision and determination. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
Part of the art of being an architect is to be a good listener. But I also believe in always providing strong leadership. Something that is designed by committee, in the end, tends to be compromised. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
I like to find things from unexpected sources. I tend to move between turtlenecks and shirts and ties. I don't really have a uniform in the sense that some people might. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
[Makes a good architect] an open mind, energy, an appetite for hard work, a willingness to explore new solutions and push boundaries. A sense of humor is also helpful. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
In Britain, the idea one could go from blue-collar beginnings to the university was so far out, it was quite unthinkable. I took a variety of jobs to pay for tuition - from ice-cream salesman to night-club bouncer. Whatever earned the most money in the least time. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
You cannot separate the buildings out from the infrastructure of cites and the mobility of transit. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
I think you never stop learning. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
I would never wear anything with a logo. That I really find difficult. It's a frustration that I'll find a nice shirt or something and it's got 50 prints of the logo on it - why do they do this? (Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank)
Manhattan, one of the most moneyed spots on the planet, also has one of the greatest concentrations of people in its skyscrapers. It's also, of course, the place where every architect wants to build his tower. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
Control is the wrong word. The practice is very much about sharing, and, in any creative practice, some individuals, whether partners or directors, are much closer to certain projects than I could ever be. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
I was born in 1935, and as far back as I can remember, I was sketching designs. My first subject was an aircraft, which I imagined myself piloting. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
Google has already tested robot cars in San Francisco. If they can navigate San Francisco, they can probably manage just about anywhere. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
A life-threatening illness or two certainly gives you an awareness of your own mortality. It heightens your sense of gratitude for things that previously, if you've not taken them for granted, you perhaps never appreciated how precious they were. That's almost a platitude, but one has to state the obvious. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
I'm amazed to be here still and doing all this. But then I look at Oscar Niemeyer in Rio, who was a hero of mine when I was a student at Manchester. Oscar's still busy at work at 102, so there's hope. In any case, I just wouldn't know how to stop. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
[A man every day should do] probably self-assess. Do I do it religiously? Not consciously, but I like to think that in one form or another I do question, yes. I would be being pretentious and untruthful if I said that I devote a bit of time just for introspection and consciously do that, but in one form or another I suspect I do. And if I don't, I think it would be a good thing to do anyway. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
There's a snobbery at work in architecture. The subject is too often treated as a fine art, delicately wrapped in mumbo-jumbo. In reality, it's an all-embracing discipline taking in science, art, maths, engineering, climate, nature, politics, economics. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
I'm not a creature of habit. I like to find things from unexpected sources. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
Every time I've flown an aircraft, or visited a steelworks, or watched a panel-beater at work, I've learned something new that can be applied to buildings. (Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank)
I tend to move between turtlenecks and shirts and ties. I don't really have a uniform in the sense that some people might. View quote
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank