Norman Foster Foundation

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Norman Foster Foundation

Promoting interdisciplinary thinking and research to help new generations of architects, designers and urbanists to anticipate the future.

26/08/2026

Models make ideas tangible, creating a shared point of reference around which designers can gather, question and exchange perspectives. By bringing a project into physical form, they encourage dialogue and allow ideas to be considered collectively, revealing new possibilities through observation and conversation

In this way, model making becomes a collaborative part of the design process, where ideas are not only represented, but discussed, challenged and refined together

25/08/2026

The relationship between architecture and aviation in Norman Foster’s work reached a new level with Stansted Airport in Essex, U.K., which redefined conventional airport terminal design.

The British Airports Authority approached the Foster Studio in 1980 to accommodate anticipated passenger growth. Despite having no previous experience in airport design, the Studio turned this into an advantage, approaching the project without inherited preconceptions.

The rural setting called for a lightweight, adaptable and visually unobtrusive structure, combining streamlined design with the clarity of early airport terminals.

Several arrangements were explored, including separate arrival and departure areas, before a single structure with a single-level concourse emerged as the most efficient solution.

24/08/2026

In ‘Future Archives’, Volume II of the Norman Foster Foundation Press’ Conversation Series, ten experts converse with Hans Ulrich Obrist, Curator and Artistic Director of Serpentine, and Estrella de Diego, Academician at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, on the topic of archives. They discuss the creation of archives of distinct figures and institutions, the challenges faced and the joys found through delving into archives.

The archives featured and discussed include Le Corbusier’s archive at Fondation Le Corbusier, the Archigram archive, Frank Lloyd Wright’s archive at Fallingwater, the Musée National d’Art Moderne housed at the Centre Pompidou, the Getty Research Institute, the Yale University School of Architecture, the Canadian Centre for Architecture and more.

The experts featured are Deborah Berke, Beatriz Colomina, Dennis Crompton †, Edmund de Waal, Kenneth Frampton, Julia Gonella, Justin Gunther, Phyllis Lambert, Frédéric Migayrou and Andrew Perchuk.

Available from www.ivorypress.com from 1 September, or at the Ivorypress Bookshop, Orfila 5, Madrid, from today, 24 August.

21/08/2026

Norman Foster has had a lifelong passion for aviation, which has strongly influenced his approach to architecture. He admires aircraft for their combination of advanced technology, precision, efficiency, and elegant design. He is especially interested in how planes achieve high performance while using minimal materials, with every component serving a clear purpose.

This way of thinking is reflected in Foster’s buildings, which often feature lightweight structures, advanced technology, and highly engineered systems. His fascination with aviation has also influenced projects such as airports. For Foster, aircraft represent human creativity and technological progress, inspiring his belief that design should explore new possibilities and improve the way people interact with their environment.

20/08/2026

Our Blood was a major nonprofit initiative developed by the Norman Foster Foundation in collaboration with British artist Marc Quinn, bringing global attention to the refugee crisis through a travelling architectural installation. First presented on the steps of the New York Public Library, the pavilion subsequently travelled to cities around the world.

Inspired by the nearly seventy million people who had fled their homes worldwide, the installation featured two identical cubes of frozen human blood at its centre: one collected from 2,500 resettled refugees and the other from 2,500 non-refugee donors. Displayed side by side, the sculptures revealed the fundamental biological connection between us all, challenging notions of difference and highlighting our shared humanity.

Designed by the Norman Foster Foundation team, the lightweight pavilion drew inspiration from the geometry of refugee shelters. Its prefabricated metal structure and transparent textile membrane provided a transportable, adaptable and dignified setting for the artwork, combining technological innovation with a universal message of equality and human solidarity.

19/08/2026

Different types of drawing reveal specific aspects of an evolving project, communicating essential design decisions to architects and clients alike.

Dating from November 1980, these concept studies trace a year of progress on the new headquarters for the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank. Drawn with coloured markers on Flip Chart sheets, they translate complex stages of the design with remarkable clarity.

Throughout, the project’s central objective remains visible: maximum flexibility and the ability to adapt to the changing patterns of international finance. The drawings show how this principle guided the project from competition entry towards its near-final design, while providing a direct basis for discussion at a crucial moment in its development.

18/08/2026

At the Norman Foster Foundation, models are more than mere representations—they are a testing ground for new materials, ideas, and ways of making.

Hands-on experimentation allow us understand how sustainable materials behave, perform and ultimately inform design. In-house models follow the same approach, prioritising cellulose-based materials and using as little adhesive as possible.

17/08/2026

‘On Cities’ is the first volume in the Norman Foster Foundation Press Masterclass Series. Based on the Foundation’s homonymous virtual masterclass series, it brings together the insights of twenty leading architects, planners, policymakers and academics to explore the challenges and opportunities shaping urban environments.

Extending these interdisciplinary conversations beyond the classroom, ‘On Cities’ invites a wider audience to rethink how cities can become more sustainable and resilient while remaining inclusive and inviting.

The Masterclass Series reflects the Foundation’s commitment to education and the exchange of ideas, fostering dialogue across disciplines and generations while reinforcing the role of design as a catalyst for positive change.

The experts featured are Joseph G. Allen, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Deborah Berke, Luís M. A. Bettencourt, Ricky Burdett, Vishaan Chakrabarti, Robin Chase, Fonna Forman, Norman Foster, Sou Fujimoto, Edward Glaeser, Dirk Hebel, Francis Kéré, Anupama Kundoo, Kent Larson, Giuseppe Sala, Carolyn Steel, Tim Stonor, Belinda Tato and Theresa Williamson.

Available from www.ivorypress.com from 1 September, or at the Ivorypress Bookshop, Orfila 5, Madrid, from 24 August.

13/08/2026

The BYD SkyRail project, conceived and designed by the Norman Foster Foundation in collaboration with BYD from 2018 to 2020, explores how elevated transport infrastructure can support a wider range of urban uses. Developed as a flexible, modular system, it combines mobility with pedestrian and cycle routes, landscape and urban agriculture, environmental technologies and community services — making infrastructure a more integrated part of the city.

The research tested this approach across different urban conditions, from the density of Mexico City and London to the metropolitan scale of the San Francisco Bay Area, examining how lightweight infrastructure could adapt to different urban contexts.

By bringing together mobility, ecology and social infrastructure, SkyRail proposes a new kind of urban framework: one in which transport not only connects places, but also contributes to the environmental and social life of the city.

11/08/2026

Architectural models are powerful tools for learning.

Developed for the Norman Foster Institute, this interactive model of Madrid brings urban data and metrics to life through projection mapping, enabling students and visitors to explore the city in an engaging and immersive way.

Dirección

Monte Esquinza 48
Madrid
28010

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http://normanfosterfoundation.org/

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