The futuristic buildings of Norman Foster are mainly known in London

Reddish - His spacious and airy buildings are changing the horizons of major cities. In the style of Norman Foster, the spirit of the new millennium prevails. From minimalist bubbles to the London "gherkin" or the reconstruction of the German Reichstag - his works push the aesthetic and technological boundaries of possibilities while being considerate of the environment. The renowned British architect and designer will celebrate his eightieth birthday on Monday.
    Foster enjoys modern, lightweight materials. He avoids traditional air conditioning in favor of natural ventilation. Futuristic airport terminals, skyscrapers, museums, and public buildings based on his designs are rising all over the world. He has also designed door handles, a wind turbine, and an electric bus that runs partially on solar power. His signature is most evident in central London.
    Like a giant glass and iron pine cone that landed in London's City near the Thames, Foster's 2004 building for Swiss Re, nicknamed the gherkin by Londoners, stands out. It appears as an object from an alien civilization among the surrounding houses and churches. The 41-story tower consumes 50% less energy than similar buildings and utilizes daylight that streams in through its glass sections.
    His building of the New City Hall, made of glass and steel, sits on the opposite bank of the Thames like a massive tilted egg. It leans to the side at a thirty-degree angle, limiting the impact of sunlight from the south while maximizing light from the north: "The energy deficit is a global problem. Instead of energy-intensive family homes, we need skyscrapers that can be built and operated as efficiently as possible."
    As a "blade of light cutting across the river," Foster envisioned a pedestrian bridge that spanned the Thames to celebrate the new millennium in 2000. However, the graceful footbridge swayed unpleasantly after opening, earning its creator the nickname Lord Wobbly.
    In the renovation of the Berlin Reichstag, Foster wanted to cover the entire building with a glass canopy. But that did not go through. So he at least designed a roof in the shape of a glass dome with a viewing ramp and an automatically controlled system of mirrors that lights the plenary hall. The dome also serves as an air reservoir for the natural ventilation system. It is surrounded by spiral ramps, providing not only a view but also a symbolic sense of being above the politicians.
    In 2005, another giant by Foster cut through the deep valley of the French river Tarn near the town of Millau. Seven slender pillars, soaring into the sky like giant needles, are connected by a system of strong suspension cables, spanning a chasm nearly three kilometers wide: "Human work must be in harmony with nature. The pillars must blend into the landscape as if they grew from the ground."
    The virtuoso of British architecture spent his childhood in a working-class neighborhood in Manchester among airplane models and books about Le Corbusier's theories of space, light, and minimalism. At sixteen, he left school and served in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He earned money for later studies in architecture by selling ice cream. After finishing school, he set off for the USA, where he visited as many of Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings as possible "on foot, by car, and by bus." He was determined to transfer their graceful curves and natural light to formal Britain.
    His star rose on the British scene in the 1960s. In 1964, he created a glass bubble in Cornwall, a building partially buried in the ground called the Cockpit. In 1970, as part of Foster and Partners, he designed the first inflatable bank building in the world - a translucent object made of nylon and PVC.
    In 1990, Foster was elevated to the nobility. However, critical voices in Britain have emerged, speaking about his overly privileged position or accusing him of an obsession with steel, aluminum, and glass.
    Now a renowned architect, he mostly oversees his team. Otherwise, he enjoys traveling the country on skis or by bike and pilots airplanes, including a Boeing 747. He is married for the third time, currently to the Spanish psychologist Elena Ochoa, and has five children. In 1999, he received the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize and in 2009 the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts (now the Princess of Asturias Award).