Norman Foster’s Architectural Empire | The New Yorker →

I wouldn’t call myself an architecture buff, but I enjoy looking at and experiencing well-designed buildings. I’m less taken with architects themselves— too often, their perspectives come across as pretentious or elitist. I’ll occasionally watch a documentary about architecture, but I don’t follow or idolize any one figure.

Given that, I was surprised by how engaging Ian Parker’s profile of Norman Foster in The New Yorker (January 20, 2025) turned out to be. The piece reads almost like a documentary— cinematic in pace and tone. I’d never heard of Foster before, yet realized I’d encountered many of his buildings through popular culture. While the print article omits visuals, the digital version is rich with examples of Foster + Partners’ work.

“There are some projects you don’t talk about,” he said. “We’ve all got a few of those. If somebody asks you, then: Yes, we did them. But you’d qualify how much you did and what actually happened.”

One project that especially caught my attention was an enclave of social housing in Beanhill, Milton Keynes, U.K., built during the 1970s. 

Dezeen offers a fascinating synopsis of the development and considers what Foster might contribute to social housing today. What intrigued me most was how the project aimed to provide thoughtful, functional design for everyday living— an ambitious social experiment that ultimately faltered, partly because the designers misunderstood the real needs of residents. The units were later modified to make them more livable.

Despite such missteps, the sheer scope of Foster’s career is remarkable, and I found the article a genuinely rewarding read.