文档介绍：Architecture and Sustainability
Norman Foster 2003
A photograph of our studio at Riverside, taken shortly after we occupied it in 1990, shows only a handful of
computers on the desks; today every single workstation has one. Computer screens have already replaced
the traditional drawing board and some of the most fundamental aspects of our profession are changing as
a result of this technology - in terms of working patterns, social relations, and our responses to
environmental challenges. For example, many of the ‘green’ ideas that we explored in early projects are only
now ing a reality because of the new technologies at our disposal. This book is a survey of almost 40
years of work, a period of huge social and technological transformation. The rate of change is increasing
rather than diminishing, and that can be seen reflected in the buildings and projects illustrated here.
However, it is also possible to trace consistent themes and concerns throughout our work.
Our buildings have always been driven by a belief that the quality of our surroundings directly influences the
quality of our lives, whether in the workplace, at home or in the public spaces that make up our cities. This
emphasis on the social dimension is an acknowledgement that architecture is generated by people’s needs,
both spiritual and material. Allied to this is a willingness to challenge accepted responses or solutions.
Looking back I can see that our practice has been inspired by the polarities of analysis and action. This
means trying to ask the right questions, allied with an insatiable curiosity about how things work – whether
they anisations or mechanical systems. And it means never taking anything for granted, always
trying to probe deeper. This is due in part to a fascination with inquiry, with going back to first principles to
identify whether there is an opportunity to invent, or re-invent, a solution.
The quest for quality embraces the phys