Norman Foster

Norman Foster was born in 1935 in Reddish near Manchester/GB and studied first at the University of Manchester and then at the Yale School of Art and Architecture. From 1968 to 1983 he worked for and with the visionary Richard Buckminster Fuller. In 1965 he co-founded Team 4 and in 1967 he established Foster Associates, now known as Foster + Partners. Today, Foster + Partners is one of the most renowned architectural practices in the world. The most famous projects included the redesign of the Reichstag (German Parliament) in Berlin, the headquarters of Swiss Re in London, the construction of the Millau Viaduct in the south of France and the redesign of London's Wembley Stadium. In 1990 Foster was granted a knighthood by Queen Elisabeth II. In 1992 he became an honorary member of the BDA (Association of German Architects). In 1997 he was appointed to the Order of Merit (OM). For Duravit, the Pritzker award winner (1999) designed the Bathroom Foster range: the stylish epitome of simple elegance.