foster versus other architects
Richard Rogers- is an Italian-born British architect who used to work with Foster back with Team 4. As old colleagues, they also share similar views on design, with both Rogers’ and Foster’s work being termed by the media as high-tech architecture. Rogers is fundamentally modernist in outlook, but developed a style of his own dubbed “Bowellism.” This style can be seen in his designs of the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Lloyd’s Building in London- an inside-out style that relegates most of the building’s services to the exterior in order to free up interior space. Much of Rogers’ later career has been focused on issues of urbanism, sustainability and the ways in which cities are used. This is very similar to Foster, who probably had some part in influencing Rogers or vice versa. David Chipperfield- is a British architect who is modernist in outlook and driven by a philosophical and elemental approach when it comes to design. Formerly a partner of Foster and Partners, he established his own practice, David Chipperfield Architects, in 1984. From there, he has gone on to design many civic and cultural buildings both in the U.S. and Europe, with one of his best works being the restoration of the Neues Museum in Berlin. From this, one can glean the similarities to Foster when compared to one of Foster’s works also in Berlin- the restoration of the Reichstag. Both restorations respect the history of the past and ensure that the new design complements the old, creating a smooth and flowing integration of old and new. For example, Chipperfield has kept several of the old facades intact in the Neues Museum, and Foster has left many marks of the past German graffiti untouched in the Reichstag.
In comparison
Current Projects
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe- is a German-American architect who served as the last director of the Bauhaus school. Widely regarded as one of the forefathers of modern architecture, Mies used modern materials such as industrial steel and plate glass in his buildings. He referred to his buildings as “skin and bones” architecture because of the minimal framework that characterized it, and is commonly associated with the aphorism “less is more.” Unlike Foster, Mies did not practice sustainable architecture because to be honest that was not necessary or even really existent at the time. In Mies’ time, what mattered was defining his era through exploring what modernism meant. Using rational thought to achieve spiritual goals, he believed that every architectural element must serve a purpose and contribute to the building in its entirety. When looking at Mies’ work such as the Barcelona Pavilion, it is evident they are very direct and simple in nature. All in all, Mies can be seen as a clear influence in Foster’s highly modern, economic, and efficient buildings today.