We now think it hilarious that medieval streets were used as open sewers. Equally, our descendants will say: ‘You won’t believe this, but people were once allowed to hurl a couple of tons of dangerous metal around smashing into each other.’ Norman Foster Read Quote
You cannot separate the buildings out from the infrastructure of cites and the mobility of transit. Norman Foster Read Quote
I tend to move between turtlenecks and shirts and ties. I don’t really have a uniform in the sense that some people might. Norman Foster Read Quote
I travel continuously, and I see many cities, but there is nowhere like London. Norman Foster Read Quote
I think cars encapsulate the history of innovation and style – it’s the other side of the coin of the car being public enemy No.1. Norman Foster Read Quote
As an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown. Norman Foster Read Quote
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. Norman Foster Read Quote
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. Norman Foster Read Quote
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. Norman Foster Read Quote
