Buildings are more than just concrete and steel. They are memories set in stone. Growing up, I spent hours learning about architecture and making cardboard models with my father. He always found creative ways to broaden my knowledge when school felt difficult and boring.
Years later, those lessons took on a whole new meaning during a trip to Paris. I was on the Eurostar train, scheduled to meet a close friend. Two minutes before the train dipped underwater into the Channel Tunnel, I received a text. My 85-year-old father had passed away.
For the next 40 minutes under the water, time completely stopped. I arrived in Paris in a state of shock. But I decided to take the advice from my daughter's favorite musical, Mary Poppins. I put my best foot forward and kept moving. After lunch, my friend and I visited the Norman Foster exhibit at the Centre Pompidou. Seeing those architectural models brought back a flood of joyful memories of building things with my dad and spotting buildings that we liked and that challenged the statues quo.
At the end of the exhibit, I wanted an artifact to remember the day. I ended up with a massive two-volume book set published by Taschen a year later. Here is a look inside.
The first book is simply called Norman Foster Works. This is the larger volume of the two. It serves as a comprehensive document of all the buildings Norman Foster has created throughout his life.
The book traces his projects from the very beginning. It starts with an interview section to set the stage. From there, it moves into a brief summary of each building alongside various sketches and architectural plans. It even includes a sneak peek at unbuilt projects and future concepts waiting to be realized.
The second book in the set has a bright green cover and is titled Norman Foster Networks. I highly recommend reading this one first.
Instead of just listing buildings, this book is a collection of the raw themes that inspired Foster's designs. It connects all the dots. The content is broken down into thematic chapters like Roots, Flight, Alpine, Nature, Art, Making, Place, and Cities.
The Flight chapter covers Foster's love for aviation, airplanes, and gliders. A great tip is to keep both books open side by side while you read this section. The text frequently references the other volume. For example, it might point you directly to the Manchester Center on page Works 554.
This section gives you an insider look at his design process. You get to see exactly how the streamlined shapes of vintage cars and aircraft translated directly into the curved geometry of his buildings.
There is also a deeply detailed look at the Apple campus in Silicon Valley. This section is incredibly special to me. I was lucky enough to visit this campus during the WWDC conference while working at a company called Craft.
The book breaks down the schematic work and the thought process behind the massive ring structure. If you ever get the chance to attend that developer conference, I highly recommend reading up on the architecture beforehand. It completely changes how you experience the space.
The Alpine section brings back fond memories of a trip I took to St. Moritz a few years ago. The book dives into Foster's fascination with the town's history and his love for cross-country skiing marathons.
It also features a specific home he designed in the area. The photography shows how he expertly paired traditional exposed wooden beams with highly modern, contemporary color accents.
These books are an absolute treasure, but they are also quite an investment. When I first looked into buying them, the retail price was over 400 pounds, or roughly 600 dollars.
I ended up waiting and getting my set during Taschen's annual sale. Every year, they offer 50 percent off their display books. If you want to own this collection without paying full retail price, keep an eye out for that publisher sale. You can also try browsing eBay, as used copies occasionally pop up there.
To an architecture student, these books are a factual archive of Norman Foster's incredible career. To me, they represent something much more profound.
They are a physical monument to my father. They sit in a very special place in my home today. Whenever I want to remember him and the passion we shared, I just open these pages and start reading.