Norman Foster: Ecosophy of Systems (original) (raw)

2023, Norman Foster, Sustanaible Futures, ACCART Books - Centre Georges Pompidou

'Etymologically, the word "ecosophy" combines oikos and sophia, "household" and "wisdom". As in "ecology", "eco-" has an appreciably broader meaning than the immediate family, household, and community. "Earth household" is closer to the mark. So an ecosophy becomes a philosophical world-view or system inspired by the conditions of life in the ecosphere.' Arne Naess 1 When we think of the work of Norman Foster, it is his most spectacular projects that come to mind, the ones that seem to epitomise the image of a city, a region, or that, more simply, have changed the shape of a site or the configuration of a place. And the list is a long one. We are talking of an architect who has worked in most countries of the world and has undertaken a huge diversity of projects, most of which have impacted on the very structure of the urban fabric. Airports, transport networks, headquarters of international companies, public buildings, major works of art, urban development programmes, museums-Norman Foster has explored the whole complexity of industrial society through hundreds of projects, some only planned, some realised, in every part of the globe. He has constantly adapted the size and composition of his practice, founded in 1967, to the evolution of the world's economy, which had centred on the United States during the postwar period, but then opened up to China, Russia, India and South America. In the face of this globalised world, Norman Foster has developed a practice that has grown from its base in London to form a network of international offices that is better able to respond to multiple commissions. Unlike those large anonymous firms that produce equally anonymous projects all across the globe, and also unlike those architects whose names have almost become brands, Norman Foster has created a practice that has preserved its own identity as a global enterprise constantly open to new research and innovation. 'Foster + Partners is coming to resemble not so much any previous large architectural practice,' explains Deyan Sudjic, 'but more a cross between a leading school of architecture and a global research-based consultancy.' 2