诺曼·福斯特访谈

世界建筑（以下简称WA）：本期《世界建筑》挑选了您最近10年完成的13个项目，从私人住宅到大尺度的总体规划，让我们看到了不一样的福斯特建筑，不仅仅是尼斯的艺术中心或北京国际机场此类标志性的建筑。在中国，您是很多青年建筑师的偶像，他们很想知道，除了“导言”中提到的巴克明斯特·富勒和密斯·凡·德·罗，您年轻的时候还受到过哪些建筑师的启发？他们对您有哪些影响？

诺曼·福斯特（以下简称NF）：在不同时期带给我启发的人太多了，他们不仅仅是建筑师。过去的一些伟大人物带给我灵感——弗雷德里克·劳·奥姆斯泰德与罗伯特·布雷·马克斯的景观设计，伊萨姆巴德·金德姆·布鲁内尔、乔治·史蒂芬森、威廉·亨利·巴洛和约翰·A·罗布林的工程项目，以及那些曾经合作过的人，比如奥托·艾舍；还有我的老师，耶鲁的保罗·鲁道夫、塞吉·希玛耶夫和文森特·斯卡利。

许多建筑师和设计师的作品在不同时期吸引了我的注意，包括众所周知的人物，比如弗兰克·劳埃德·赖特和勒·柯布西耶，不过，我会对作为空想家的柯布西耶——他的一些空想方案，比如巴黎城市规划，我并不赞同——和作为哲学家、艺术家的柯布西耶加以区分，我发现他作为后者具有无穷的魅力。他鼓励建筑师用新的方式看待问题，你该明白，他们是第一代在旅途中真正从空中看到这个世界的人，这自然影响到他对城市的理解。他的朗香教堂依然具有打动我的力量，尽管有评论认为他的马赛公寓在社会上取得成功。我还从加州学派、杰出的斯堪的纳维亚设计师和建筑师那里获得灵感。

让我获得启发的还有伯纳德·鲁道夫斯基所谓的“没有建筑师的建筑”——地方传统包含一切，从谷仓和风车到城市空间——以及如何与自然合作创造出可持续的建筑和城市。现在，对于我来说，旅行和研究这些建筑和城市仍然和我在建筑系读书的时候一样重要。从某种意义上来说，我还是一名学生。

WA:巴克明斯特·富勒是一位最早关注生态和可持续性问题的建筑师，您曾与他在一些早期的项目上合作过，能否谈谈他给过您哪些建议？他本人的作品带给您最重要的启发是什么？您重做了一款富勒设计的汽车，去年还在马德里策划了一次关于富勒的展览，您为什么要办这次展览？您对他作品的哪些方面特别关注？

NF: 巴基（福斯特对巴克明斯特·富勒的称呼——译者注）是一位真正的技术大师，他的许多创新让那些思想大胆的人也感到惊讶。然而，他在公众心目中的形象可能是一个冷酷的技术专家，但事实绝非如此。他深刻的精神层面很少被论及。对于我来说，巴基是非常具有道德良知的人，他总是提醒我们地球的脆弱和人类保护地球的责任。这次展览最大的挑战是尝试抓住他本人的精神。我认为，我们不可能完全传达出他不断变化的思想，他的探索的精神和他多方面的成就。

马德里的展览和Dymaxion节能汽车都是为了向他致敬。出发点是完全遵循巴基的方式创造出一辆真正的节能车4号——不是一个复制品，底盘、发动机和驱动系统来自于一辆1930年代的福特轿车。4号车上的所有构件都制造于1934年，或是重新利用了巴基在当时可以获得的技术和材料。制造节能车的一个目的是把它作为展览中一个重要的中心装饰物——它看起来相当吸引人。为了这次展览，我还制作了一个现代版的威奇托住宅，在巴基的那个时候是由飞机制造厂制造的。它同样是未来主义的，是展览的一个重要部分。我们还制作了一部相当有趣的影片。Dymaxion节能车出产于纽约一家1930年代的车间，从那些老车中开出来，经过还比较新的赫斯特大厦，然后跨过哈迪逊河、驶入隧道，出现在现代纽约的另一个区，它看起来仍然像是出自一部科幻电影。

WA:我们知道，您特别关注的一个问题是尽量减少能量消耗和利用可再生能源。比如，瑞士再保险大厦的螺旋体量和伦敦市政厅（GLA）的球形体量分别来自于对风力和日照的分析。您在设计中如何优先考虑此类环境因素？

NF: 每一个项目的开始阶段都需要详细的调查和气候研究，以对其所在场所的独特性做出回应。我们可以用一个非常简单的金字塔图形来描述被动式和主动式方法之间的权衡。最大的环境收益来自于最少的财政投资：它依靠于对建筑朝向和形式的重要决策。当你越接近金字塔顶点的时候——更多的主动控制——环境收益也就随之减少。然而，通过被动式控制，比如响应式遮阳、利用自然光和自然通风，你会找到性能和经济的平衡点。

最重要的是，设计必须不仅考虑建筑还要考虑到城市的基础设施——尤其是交通运输，因为建筑和人的出行占据了我们所耗能源的70%。所以，在我们的工作室中，结构和环境工程师在设计的开始阶段就与建筑师一起工作。这样做，我相信，他们可以相互学习，把他们的知识结合起来，作出综合完整的设计方案。

WA:福斯特事务所目前的项目可以说遍布世界各地，除了不同地区的气候和环境因素，您还会在设计中考虑哪些地域文化的因素？

NF: 每一个场所都是不同的，我们所做的设计——无论什么样规模和功能的建筑或是城市总体规划——都是对当地的气候、文化和人们生活方式的特殊回应。在我们追求节能建筑设计的新方法时，可以从地方传统中获得宝贵经验，着眼于公共空间和汽车优先时代之前社区的组织方式，汽车的统治地位已经遭到质疑。城市密度和能源消耗之间有直接的关联。我们知道，相对密集、紧凑的城市比那种分散布局的城市（比如底特律）更节能。我们也知道，那些你可以步行或骑自行车的城市、那些拥有大量的公共空间、便利设施很近的城市，是更适宜居住的地方。

为了解决复杂的交通和能源系统，创建适于步行的社区，必须结合基础设施的设计。这种方式适用于城市及以上层次——项目的规模越大，我们寻求配合的可能性越大。我们在英国设计的泰晤士枢纽，在项目规模和跨部门的战略思考方面都是前所未有的。它汇集了铁路、货运物流、航空、能源传输和发电、防护及区域发展。它能够实现从公路到铁路的转变，由此减少拥堵并提高英国城市的生活品质。但它同样适合远郊社区和乡村。这个项目包含一个结合铁路和市政设施的南北向的中枢。受到18世纪英国景观传统的启发，铁轨将从地景中开凿出来，挖出的土被堆在任意一侧，看起来像低矮的土丘。绿色缓冲区将容纳电力传输、宽带和其他市政设施——取消了那些难看的铁塔和立架，并减少了输送过程中的损耗。沿铁路布置的废物发电厂将给系统输送更多绿色电力。

WA:“未来屋”的设计灵感来自于当地的一些传统建筑，采用了传统的建筑材料，结果却是与传统建筑截然不同的形象，您如何理解现代建筑与传统建筑的关系？建筑师应该如何运用现代技术延续文化传统？此类问题对当今的中国建筑师来说也特别重要。

NF: 未来屋将传统技术与当代的有效形式相结合，它在密度方面也很有意义。与破坏了许多社区边缘形象的蔓延模式相反，它表明如何在高密度的环境下将新建筑嵌入现有的肌理，同时维持本地技术并保护自然环境。我相信，对过去建筑的热爱与构建未来建筑不存在冲突：新与旧完全可以共存。

我们为西九龙文化区所做的概念规划就涉及了保持文化传统的连续性——我们尝试抓住并表现出香港的独特性，它的城市DNA。城市是持续的灵感来源：街道，日常生活，城市的味道和气息，它的气候、密度、神祠、景观、场所精神——这些让香港独一无二。我们研究了街道的比例，比如兰桂坊、九龙的弥敦道和上海街。我们根据数量和比例考虑街道的垂直分层、标识和店铺、人流和车流。我们不是抽象地运用这些信息，而是留意我们能在多大程度上为城市活动创建一个框架。我们还取消了小汽车——除了下车区在步行道之下的出租车——以消除污染和拥堵。

WA:香港汇丰银行可以说是您的建筑生涯中里程碑式的作品，其建筑空间、结构和技术的运用都具有革命性，开启了高层建筑的新时代。近些年，很多高层建筑的设计结合了“空中花园”，包括您设计的法兰克福商业银行。在您看来，未来的高层建筑将会有怎样的发展趋势？

NF: 我相信，我们会继续历经高层建筑发展成为一种对人口增长和城市化加剧的共同需要做出回应的建筑类型。在城市关系中，能源消耗和密度的关系至关重要。密度最低的城市，比如那些分散布局的城市，人均能源消耗巨大。另一方面，密度极高的城市具有低水平的能源消耗。尽管如此，未来也有希望发展低层但高密度的城市，无论是我们对中东模式进行重新解释的马斯达尔城，还是哥本哈根、马德里和伦敦那样传统的欧洲模式。

WA:北京国际机场T3航站楼是世界上最先进的、乘客容量最大的航站楼，它最终的建成效果是否符合您的预期？与香港赤鱲角国际机场相比，这个项目有哪些发展？

NF: 它的空间在精神和城市方面符合我们的预期。它漂亮地履行了作为奥运会大门的职责。我还记得无休止的预演，模拟乘客携带武器用行李引爆系统，模拟内部火车中拥挤的状况。所有这些细致的准备工作都是值得的，结果是在奥运会期间特殊的压力和客容量的情况下，它仍能平稳高效地运行。在建造方面，它同样让人印象深刻。本地工业和技术人员高效地完成建造的技术能力也让我印象深刻。T3航站楼相当于5个希思罗机场航站楼的大小，而且其中17%的面积在同一屋顶下，而伦敦希思罗机场的建造耗时50年，在北京同等大小的空间仅用4年时间就完成了！

北京机场的设计可以被看作是斯坦斯特德机场模式的进一步发展。在斯坦斯特德机场中，我们回归到空中旅行的本质，设法重获早期机场的清晰度。它没有当时机场航站楼常见的迷宫般的路线或变换的楼层。香港机场，以其轻盈的屋顶、自然光以及将服务、行李托运和运输整合在建筑内，完善了斯坦斯特德机场的模式。北京机场以同样的清晰度和逻辑组织，在宏大的尺度下进一步发展了这种模式。它的形式以及屋顶色彩（从朱红色过渡到金黄色）和柱子的使用唤起了一种场所感，符合它在国家中心作为大门的职能。

WA:在T3航站楼的设计和建造期间，您一定多次到访北京，您对北京城市的印象如何？这些印象对T3航站楼的设计产生过影响吗？能谈谈您对中国现代建筑的看法吗？您认为中国怎样能够更好地改善建筑环境的品质？

NF: 北京让我印象深刻的地方太多了，这也是我为什么多次来到这里——还经常带着我的妻子和孩子。机场设计的目标是要传达这些体验，并且要表现出中国的独特魅力。它龙一般的外形和屋顶设计有意让人联想到中国传统的色彩和象征，我过去描述过这样的方式。

北京T3航站楼的建设在难以置信的紧张期限内完成，实际上以它的规模在世界任何其他地方都是难以想像的。从这方面来看，我觉得，这个国家有能力把握大局。机场是一项重要的基础设施的投资，它是我们城市的未来和我们文化发展的关键，在我看来，中国已经在这个问题上采取了主动。

WA:马斯达尔城市规划的目标是零碳、零废物排放，整个城市的能源实现自给自足，城市中的交通为步行、自行车和节能的公共交通工具，马斯达尔城是否就是您心目中未来城市发展的理想模式？您认为这种模式适用于其他现有的城市吗？

NF: 从某种意义上说，马斯达尔城是一种理想模式，它具有高密度并支持步行，而不是围绕小汽车设计的不可持续的城市蔓延方式。然而，所有城市规划模式必须是对它所在地区、气候和文化的特殊回应。通过马斯达尔，我们尝试在沙漠地区创建一座低碳城市，这里是地球上有人类居住的气候最极端的地区之一。如果我们能在这里做到的话，在其他任何地方都能够做到。我们在这里取得的经验必定适用于世界各地的城市。

但是，尽管我们的理念是固定的，设计结果却会因为地点的不同而形成显著的变化。比如，在沙漠地区，你追求的是荫凉，而在西伯利亚你需要尽可能地获取阳光。因此，建筑的实际空间和形式会千差万别。从地方传统中也可以学习到宝贵的经验，传统的确立是以当地的材料和技术适应场所和气候。在工业革命之前，建筑的发展已经经历了几个世纪。但是这些传统在蒸汽时代开始逐渐消失，最终在能源廉价的时代被摒弃。安装上空调之后，迪拜的建筑可以和伦敦的建筑一样，尽管它们的气候环境是完全相反的。从过去汲取灵感，我们能够发展出既具有可持续性又根植于场所的回应。

WA:最后，请您谈谈福斯特事务所目前的运行方式。最近，你们将事务所改组成几个不同合伙人负责的团队，并且指定负责3号团队的穆扎汗·马吉迪作为你们的CEO。显然，在这样庞大的事务所中，您不可能参与每一个项目，但您仍然会挑选一些您特别关注的项目吗？如果是这样的话，哪些因素会影响您对项目的选择？您如何保证如此众多的不同项目和不同地区中设计的高水准？

NF: 我要补充一下，去年穆扎汗作为首席执行官已经独立于团队之外，3号团队目前由卢克·福克斯负责。

建筑本来就是一项合作的事业，我作为福斯特事务所设计部的主管，监管事务所的每一个项目，并且在项目发展的每一个阶段对其进行评估——无论它在世界上的什么地方。一方面，福斯特工作室的精神近似于一所建筑学校，其发展壮大有赖于出色的评论家组成的评审体系，具有一致的设计准则；另一方面，它融合了国际咨询公司的模式，坚信研究的重要性。我也会设计公司的运行方式，以确保我有尽可能多的时间参与设计——毕竟设计是我们的核心，也是一种个人的热情。□（项琳斐 译）

2 新的泰晤士河防洪坝和水利发电站，下方是道路和铁路隧道/New combined Thames flood barrier and hydro power generator showing road and rail tunnels beneath.

3 新机场高速公路站效果图/Visualization of High Speed Railway station at new airport

4 泰晤士枢纽鸟瞰效果图，西面朝向泰晤士河入海口/Aerial view of Thames Hub looking west towards the Thames Estuary（1－4图片来源/Credit: Foster + Partners）

World Architecture(WA):This issue of World Architecture includes 13 projects completed during the last ten years, covering both private dwellings and large-scale master planning, broadening our perspective of your practice beyond other landmark buildings such as the Carre d'Art and Beijing International Terminal already published in this journal. You have many young architect fans in China who would like to know, besides Buckminster Fuller and Mies van der Rohe, who are both mentioned in the introduction, which other architects inspired you when you were young and what influence did they have on you?

Norman Foster (NF): The list of people that have inspired me at different times is very long and not restricted to architects. I find inspiration from the great figures of the past－the landscapes of Frederick Law Olmsted and Roberto Burle Marx and the engineering work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel,George Stephenson, William Henry Barlow and John A. Roebling; those I have worked with, such as Otl Aicher; as well as teachers, Paul Rudolph, Serge Chermayeff and Vincent Scully at Yale.

The work of many architects and designers has excited me at different times, including "household names" such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.However I would draw a distinction between Le Corbusier the visionary－in terms of projects such as the Vision Plan for Paris, with which I have little sympathy－and Le Corbusier the philosopher and poet, who I find endlessly engaging. He really encouraged architects to look at problems in new ways. You have to remember that his generation was really the first to be able to see the world from the air as they travelled and that had a liberating effect in terms of his perception of the city. His chapter on Beauchamp still has the power to move me emotionally and despite criticism his Unité at Marseille remains a social success. I also find inspiration in the California School and the classic Scandinavian designers and architects from the past.

I am also inspired by what Bernard Rudofsky called "architecture without architects"－the vernacular tradition that embraces everything from barns and windmills to urban spaces－and how we can work with nature to create sustainable buildings and cities. Travel and the lessons from studying these buildings and cities are still as important to me now as it was when I was at architecture school.In that sense I am still a student.

WA:Fuller is regarded as being amongst the first designers concerned with the issues of ecology and sustainability. He collaborated with you on some of your early projects. Could you tell us what advice he gave you and what most inspired you about his own work. As well as recreating one of Fuller's iconic automobile designs for your own collection,you also curated a Fuller exhibition in Madrid last year. What were your aims for that exhibition and which aspects of his work did you focus on?

NF: Bucky was a true master of technology and his many innovations still surprise one with the audacity of their thinking. Yet, while his public image may have been one of the cool technocrat, nothing could have been further from the truth. What is seldom discussed is his deeply spiritual dimension. For me, Bucky was the very essence of a moral conscience, forever warning about the fragility of the planet and man's responsibility to protect it. The greatest challenge with the exhibition was attempting to capture the spirit of the man himself. I think it is impossible to fully convey his constant flow of ideas, his spirit and enquiring mind, his diverse achievements.

Both the Madrid exhibition and the Dymaxion Car were really by way of homage. The starting point was the realisation that it was possible to create a genuine Dymaxion Car #4－not a replica－by following exactly the route that Bucky had gone down, sourcing the chassis, engine and drive train from a 1930s Ford sedan. Everything in Car #4 was either made in 1934,or recreated using techniques and materials that Bucky would have had access to at that time. As an object, the car became a great centrepiece for the exhibition－it is just so visually seductive. For the show, I also created a modern version of his Wichita House made by the aircraft manufacturers of his time. That is equally futuristic and was an important part of the show. We also created films－one of which is quite amusing. The Dymaxion comes out of a 1930s garage in New York and drives past all these old cars. It goes past the Hearst Building, which of course was still relatively new, then crosses the Hudson River and goes into a tunnel. It comes out the other side in present day New York. It still looks like something out of a science fiction movie.

WA:We know that one of your major concerns is minimising energy consumption and using renewable sources wherever possible. For example, both the curved geometries of the Swiss Re Tower and the Greater London Authority (GLA) HQ are partly shaped in response to wind forces in the first case and sun paths in the latter. How do such environmental considerations figure in your design priorities?

NF: Every project starts with detailed research and climate studies to develop a response that is uniquely of its place. The balance between passive and active measures can be described with a very simple pyramid diagram. The biggest environmental gain really comes from the least financial investment: it rests on primary decisions about a building's orientation and form. As you move closer to the apex of the pyramid – to more active controls－the environmental gains reduce.However, somewhere in the middle through passive controls such as responsive shading, the use of daylight and natural ventilation, you will find a balance of performance and economy.

Most significantly, design must take into account not just buildings but the infrastructure of citiesparticularly transport, because buildings and the movement of people accounts for 70 percent of the energy we consume. That is why in our studio,structural and environmental engineers work alongside the architects from the beginning of the design process. In doing so, we believe that they can learn from one another and combine their knowledge to devise fully integrated design solutions.

WA:Foster + Partners has now designed and completed projects all around the world. Are there any local factors you generally focus on aside from the climate and natural or built environment?

NF: Every place is different and everything we design－whether at the scale of a building, its contents or a city masterplan－is a special response to the culture of its location and the way people live, as well as the climate. This also relates to sustainability.As we pursue new ways of designing energy-efficient buildings, there are valuable lessons to be learned from vernacular tradition, looking at public spaces and the way communities were established before the dominance of the car, which is already being called into question. There is a direct correlation between urban density and energy consumption. We know that a relatively dense, compact city is more energy efficient than a city that sprawls, such as Detroit. We also know that cities where you can walk or cycle, rather than drive, where there are generous public spaces and amenities close at hand, are more congenial places in which to live.

To resolve complex transport and energy systems and create these walkable communities,the approach to infrastructure planning must be integrated. This applies at the level of the city and beyond－the greater the scale of the project, the greater potential we find for synergies. Our Thames Hub vision in the UK is unique for its scale and cross-sector strategic thinking. It brings together rail, freight logistics, aviation, energy transmission and power generation, flood protection and regional development. It enables the shift from road to rail that will reduce congestion and improve the quality of life in Britain's cities. But it is also sensitive to rural communities and to the countryside. The project includes a North-South spine, integrating rail and utilities. The rail tracks would be cut into the landscape and the excavated soil heaped either side, so that it would appear as a low banked mound, inspired by the eighteenth-century English landscape tradition. This green buffer would absorb power transmission, broadband and other utilitieseliminating unsightly pylons and gantries and saving transmission loss. Waste-to-energy plants along its length would add more green power to the system.

WA:The design of Chesa Futura was inspired by local building traditions and materials but has a very unconventional form. How do you interpret the relations between modern and traditional architecture?In what ways do you think that architects can maintain continuities with their cultural traditions using modern technologies? Such issues are of much concern to Chinese architects today.

NF: Chesa Futura combines traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary, efficient form, but is also significant in density terms. Contrary to the pattern of sprawl that disfigures the edges of so many expanding communities, it shows how new buildings can be inserted into the existing grain at increased densities, while sustaining indigenous building techniques and preserving the natural environment. I do not believe that there need be conflict in sharing a passion for buildings of the past with the architecture of the future: old and new can coexist with integrity.

Our concept masterplan for West Kowloon Cultural District is concerned with maintaining continuity with cultural tradition－we have tried to capture and reflect Hong Kong's unique character,its urban DNA. The city has been a constant source of inspiration: the streets, everyday life, the city's smells and flavours, its climate, density, escapes,shrines, landscapes, the spirit of the place – the things that make Hong Kong special. We studied the proportions of streets such as Lan Kwai Fong, as well as Nathan Road and Shanghai Street in Kowloon. We looked at the vertical layering of the streets, the signage and shops, the movement of cars and people,in terms of quantum and percentage. And then we worked with this information, not in the abstract, but seeing to what extent we could create a framework for urban activities. We also banished the carexcept for taxis that drop off below the pedestrian level－to eliminate pollution and congestion.

WA:The HSBC tower was a milestone in your architectural career. With its structural, spatial and other innovations, it opened a new page for highrise building. Over recent years, a number of other innovative towers, including your own Commerzbank,have integrated "skygardens". How do you see highrise design progressing in the future?

NF: I believe we will continue to see the tall tower evolve as a building type in response to the parallel imperatives of population growth and increased urbanisation. There is a crucial relationship in urban terms between energy consumption and density. The lowest density cities, those that sprawl, are huge per capita energy consumers. At the other end of the scale, very high density cities have low levels of energy consumption. Having said that there is also a promising future for lower rise, but still high density cities, whether based on the Middle Eastern model we are reinterpreting with Masdar or on the traditional European model of Copenhagen, Madrid and London.

WA:Terminal 3 for Beijing International Airport is the largest and most advanced airport terminal in the world. Did the final result meet with your expectations? What was your impression of the part played in its completion by Chinese construction and manufacturing firms? Comparing the design with the earlier Hong Kong Terminal, what advances do you think were made since then?

NF: The spiritual and civic dimensions of the spaces met our expectations. It fulfilled its role as a gateway to the Olympics beautifully. I can remember the endless rehearsals with armies of pretend passengers bombarding the systems with baggage and crowding the internal trains. All of these painstaking preparations paid off and resulted in a calm and quiet efficiency despite the unique pressures and volumes of an Olympic event. In construction terms,it was equally impressive. I was impressed by the technical abilities of local industries and craftsmen to deliver the building quickly and with quality. Beijing's terminal is equivalent to all five of Heathrow's terminals plus 17 per cent of that total all under one roof; and while that has taken 50 years at London's Heathrow, the same amount of space in Beijing was realised in just four!

Beijing Airport's design could be seen as a further evolution of the model that Stansted pioneered. With Stansted, we went back to the roots of air travel, to try to recapture the clarity of the early terminals. It has none of the maze-like routes or changes of level that typified the airport terminal at that time. Hong Kong airport, with its lightweight roof, natural light and integration of services, baggage handling and transportation beneath the building, refines that model. With the same clarity and logic, Beijing advances it on an epic scale. Its form and use of colour in the roof(flowing from imperial red to golden yellow) and columns evoke a sense of place appropriate for its gateway function at the heart of the nation.

WA:You have visited Beijing many times during the design and building of T3. What were your impressions of the city and did they influence the design in any way? Would you like to share with us your views about modern Chinese architecture in comparison with that of other countries in the region? In what ways do you think China can best improve the quality of the built environment?

NF: There is so much that impresses me about Beijing. That is why I have made many visitsalways with my wife and often with my young family. The airport's design aims to convey these experiences and to communicate a unique sense of China. Its dragon-like form and roof deliberately evokes traditional Chinese colours and symbols in a way that I described earlier.

A development of the scale of Beijing's Terminal 3, which was realised within such an incredibly tight timeframe, is virtually unthinkable anywhere else in the world. In this sense, I am impressed by the ability of the nation to grasp the big picture.An airport is a major investment in infrastructure.That is the key to the future of our cities and our civilisation. China, in my opinion, has seized the initiative on this issue.

WA:The Masdar City masterplan is aimed at realising low carbon and waste emissions and achieving energy self-sufficiency. Pedestrianised streets, bicycle paths and energy-saving public transport systems are all part of the approach. Is the Masdar masterplan your ideal pattern of urbandevelopment for the future? Do you think similar patterns are applicable to other cities?

NF: Masdar is an ideal pattern in the sense that it is high density and pedestrian-friendly, rather than designed around the car and the unsustainable urban sprawl that this leads to. However, every model of urban planning must be a specific response to its location, climatically and culturally. With Masdar,we are attempting to create a low carbon city in the desert, one of the most extreme inhabited climates on earth. There is a sense that if we can do it here we can do it anywhere－the lessons we are learning certainly have applicability for cities around the world.

But while our philosophy is a constant, the outcome will vary dramatically according to the location. In the desert, for example, you will seek the shade, in Siberia you will want to maximise the sunlight. So the physical spaces and shape of the buildings will be dramatically different. There are also valuable lessons to be learnt from vernacular traditions, which were established to suit place and climate, using local materials and techniques.Before the Industrial Revolution, buildings evolved over centuries. But these traditions eroded during the Steam Age and were finally discarded in the age of cheap energy. Plug in an air conditioner and a building in Dubai can be identical to one in London, no matter that the climates are of opposite extremes. By drawing inspiration from the past, we can develop a response that is both sustainable and rooted in a sense of place.

WA:Finally, would you care to talk about how your studio operates now? You recently reorganized the practice into several groups headed by different partners and appointed Mouzhan Majidi, who runs Group 3, as your CEO. Obviously with such a large practice it would be impossible for you to still be involved with every project, but do you still select some projects for your special attention, and if so,which factors influence your choice? How do you ensure that the high standards of the practice are maintained in so many different projects and places?

NF: I would add that last year Mouzhan's role as Chief Executive became independent of the groups and Group 3 is now led by Luke Fox.

Architecture is essentially a collaborative venture. I chair the design board at Foster +Partners, which oversees every project in the office and reviews it at each stage of its evolutionwherever it is in the world. In one respect the Foster studio is close in spirit to a school of architecture which thrives on a jury system of outstanding critics united by a consistent code of design ethics. In another sense it is blended with the model of an international consultancy, driven by a belief in the importance of research. I have also designed the way in which the company runs to ensure that the maximum amount of my time is available for design－which is after all our core activity and also a personal passion. □