諾曼·福斯特訪談

世界建筑（以下簡稱WA）：本期《世界建筑》挑選了您最近10年完成的13個項目，從私人住宅到大尺度的總體規(guī)劃，讓我們看到了不一樣的福斯特建筑，不僅僅是尼斯的藝術(shù)中心或北京國際機場此類標志性的建筑。在中國，您是很多青年建筑師的偶像，他們很想知道，除了“導(dǎo)言”中提到的巴克明斯特·富勒和密斯·凡·德·羅，您年輕的時候還受到過哪些建筑師的啟發(fā)？他們對您有哪些影響？

諾曼·福斯特（以下簡稱NF）：在不同時期帶給我啟發(fā)的人太多了，他們不僅僅是建筑師。過去的一些偉大人物帶給我靈感——弗雷德里克·勞·奧姆斯泰德與羅伯特·布雷·馬克斯的景觀設(shè)計，伊薩姆巴德·金德姆·布魯內(nèi)爾、喬治·史蒂芬森、威廉·亨利·巴洛和約翰·A·羅布林的工程項目，以及那些曾經(jīng)合作過的人，比如奧托·艾舍；還有我的老師，耶魯?shù)谋Ａ_·魯?shù)婪?、塞吉·?，斠蚝臀纳亍に箍ɡ?/p>

許多建筑師和設(shè)計師的作品在不同時期吸引了我的注意，包括眾所周知的人物，比如弗蘭克·勞埃德·賴特和勒·柯布西耶，不過，我會對作為空想家的柯布西耶——他的一些空想方案，比如巴黎城市規(guī)劃，我并不贊同——和作為哲學(xué)家、藝術(shù)家的柯布西耶加以區(qū)分，我發(fā)現(xiàn)他作為后者具有無窮的魅力。他鼓勵建筑師用新的方式看待問題，你該明白，他們是第一代在旅途中真正從空中看到這個世界的人，這自然影響到他對城市的理解。他的朗香教堂依然具有打動我的力量，盡管有評論認為他的馬賽公寓在社會上取得成功。我還從加州學(xué)派、杰出的斯堪的納維亞設(shè)計師和建筑師那里獲得靈感。

讓我獲得啟發(fā)的還有伯納德·魯?shù)婪蛩够^的“沒有建筑師的建筑”——地方傳統(tǒng)包含一切，從谷倉和風(fēng)車到城市空間——以及如何與自然合作創(chuàng)造出可持續(xù)的建筑和城市。現(xiàn)在，對于我來說，旅行和研究這些建筑和城市仍然和我在建筑系讀書的時候一樣重要。從某種意義上來說，我還是一名學(xué)生。

WA:巴克明斯特·富勒是一位最早關(guān)注生態(tài)和可持續(xù)性問題的建筑師，您曾與他在一些早期的項目上合作過，能否談?wù)勊o過您哪些建議？他本人的作品帶給您最重要的啟發(fā)是什么？您重做了一款富勒設(shè)計的汽車，去年還在馬德里策劃了一次關(guān)于富勒的展覽，您為什么要辦這次展覽？您對他作品的哪些方面特別關(guān)注？

NF: 巴基（福斯特對巴克明斯特·富勒的稱呼——譯者注）是一位真正的技術(shù)大師，他的許多創(chuàng)新讓那些思想大膽的人也感到驚訝。然而，他在公眾心目中的形象可能是一個冷酷的技術(shù)專家，但事實絕非如此。他深刻的精神層面很少被論及。對于我來說，巴基是非常具有道德良知的人，他總是提醒我們地球的脆弱和人類保護地球的責(zé)任。這次展覽最大的挑戰(zhàn)是嘗試抓住他本人的精神。我認為，我們不可能完全傳達出他不斷變化的思想，他的探索的精神和他多方面的成就。

馬德里的展覽和Dymaxion節(jié)能汽車都是為了向他致敬。出發(fā)點是完全遵循巴基的方式創(chuàng)造出一輛真正的節(jié)能車4號——不是一個復(fù)制品，底盤、發(fā)動機和驅(qū)動系統(tǒng)來自于一輛1930年代的福特轎車。4號車上的所有構(gòu)件都制造于1934年，或是重新利用了巴基在當時可以獲得的技術(shù)和材料。制造節(jié)能車的一個目的是把它作為展覽中一個重要的中心裝飾物——它看起來相當吸引人。為了這次展覽，我還制作了一個現(xiàn)代版的威奇托住宅，在巴基的那個時候是由飛機制造廠制造的。它同樣是未來主義的，是展覽的一個重要部分。我們還制作了一部相當有趣的影片。Dymaxion節(jié)能車出產(chǎn)于紐約一家1930年代的車間，從那些老車中開出來，經(jīng)過還比較新的赫斯特大廈，然后跨過哈迪遜河、駛?cè)胨淼?，出現(xiàn)在現(xiàn)代紐約的另一個區(qū)，它看起來仍然像是出自一部科幻電影。

WA:我們知道，您特別關(guān)注的一個問題是盡量減少能量消耗和利用可再生能源。比如，瑞士再保險大廈的螺旋體量和倫敦市政廳（GLA）的球形體量分別來自于對風(fēng)力和日照的分析。您在設(shè)計中如何優(yōu)先考慮此類環(huán)境因素？

NF: 每一個項目的開始階段都需要詳細的調(diào)查和氣候研究，以對其所在場所的獨特性做出回應(yīng)。我們可以用一個非常簡單的金字塔圖形來描述被動式和主動式方法之間的權(quán)衡。最大的環(huán)境收益來自于最少的財政投資：它依靠于對建筑朝向和形式的重要決策。當你越接近金字塔頂點的時候——更多的主動控制——環(huán)境收益也就隨之減少。然而，通過被動式控制，比如響應(yīng)式遮陽、利用自然光和自然通風(fēng)，你會找到性能和經(jīng)濟的平衡點。

最重要的是，設(shè)計必須不僅考慮建筑還要考慮到城市的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施——尤其是交通運輸，因為建筑和人的出行占據(jù)了我們所耗能源的70%。所以，在我們的工作室中，結(jié)構(gòu)和環(huán)境工程師在設(shè)計的開始階段就與建筑師一起工作。這樣做，我相信，他們可以相互學(xué)習(xí)，把他們的知識結(jié)合起來，作出綜合完整的設(shè)計方案。

WA:福斯特事務(wù)所目前的項目可以說遍布世界各地，除了不同地區(qū)的氣候和環(huán)境因素，您還會在設(shè)計中考慮哪些地域文化的因素？

NF: 每一個場所都是不同的，我們所做的設(shè)計——無論什么樣規(guī)模和功能的建筑或是城市總體規(guī)劃——都是對當?shù)氐臍夂颉⑽幕腿藗兩罘绞降奶厥饣貞?yīng)。在我們追求節(jié)能建筑設(shè)計的新方法時，可以從地方傳統(tǒng)中獲得寶貴經(jīng)驗，著眼于公共空間和汽車優(yōu)先時代之前社區(qū)的組織方式，汽車的統(tǒng)治地位已經(jīng)遭到質(zhì)疑。城市密度和能源消耗之間有直接的關(guān)聯(lián)。我們知道，相對密集、緊湊的城市比那種分散布局的城市（比如底特律）更節(jié)能。我們也知道，那些你可以步行或騎自行車的城市、那些擁有大量的公共空間、便利設(shè)施很近的城市，是更適宜居住的地方。

為了解決復(fù)雜的交通和能源系統(tǒng)，創(chuàng)建適于步行的社區(qū)，必須結(jié)合基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施的設(shè)計。這種方式適用于城市及以上層次——項目的規(guī)模越大，我們尋求配合的可能性越大。我們在英國設(shè)計的泰晤士樞紐，在項目規(guī)模和跨部門的戰(zhàn)略思考方面都是前所未有的。它匯集了鐵路、貨運物流、航空、能源傳輸和發(fā)電、防護及區(qū)域發(fā)展。它能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)從公路到鐵路的轉(zhuǎn)變，由此減少擁堵并提高英國城市的生活品質(zhì)。但它同樣適合遠郊社區(qū)和鄉(xiāng)村。這個項目包含一個結(jié)合鐵路和市政設(shè)施的南北向的中樞。受到18世紀英國景觀傳統(tǒng)的啟發(fā)，鐵軌將從地景中開鑿出來，挖出的土被堆在任意一側(cè)，看起來像低矮的土丘。綠色緩沖區(qū)將容納電力傳輸、寬帶和其他市政設(shè)施——取消了那些難看的鐵塔和立架，并減少了輸送過程中的損耗。沿鐵路布置的廢物發(fā)電廠將給系統(tǒng)輸送更多綠色電力。

WA:“未來屋”的設(shè)計靈感來自于當?shù)氐囊恍﹤鹘y(tǒng)建筑，采用了傳統(tǒng)的建筑材料，結(jié)果卻是與傳統(tǒng)建筑截然不同的形象，您如何理解現(xiàn)代建筑與傳統(tǒng)建筑的關(guān)系？建筑師應(yīng)該如何運用現(xiàn)代技術(shù)延續(xù)文化傳統(tǒng)？此類問題對當今的中國建筑師來說也特別重要。

NF: 未來屋將傳統(tǒng)技術(shù)與當代的有效形式相結(jié)合，它在密度方面也很有意義。與破壞了許多社區(qū)邊緣形象的蔓延模式相反，它表明如何在高密度的環(huán)境下將新建筑嵌入現(xiàn)有的肌理，同時維持本地技術(shù)并保護自然環(huán)境。我相信，對過去建筑的熱愛與構(gòu)建未來建筑不存在沖突：新與舊完全可以共存。

我們?yōu)槲骶琵埼幕瘏^(qū)所做的概念規(guī)劃就涉及了保持文化傳統(tǒng)的連續(xù)性——我們嘗試抓住并表現(xiàn)出香港的獨特性，它的城市DNA。城市是持續(xù)的靈感來源：街道，日常生活，城市的味道和氣息，它的氣候、密度、神祠、景觀、場所精神——這些讓香港獨一無二。我們研究了街道的比例，比如蘭桂坊、九龍的彌敦道和上海街。我們根據(jù)數(shù)量和比例考慮街道的垂直分層、標識和店鋪、人流和車流。我們不是抽象地運用這些信息，而是留意我們能在多大程度上為城市活動創(chuàng)建一個框架。我們還取消了小汽車——除了下車區(qū)在步行道之下的出租車——以消除污染和擁堵。

WA:香港匯豐銀行可以說是您的建筑生涯中里程碑式的作品，其建筑空間、結(jié)構(gòu)和技術(shù)的運用都具有革命性，開啟了高層建筑的新時代。近些年，很多高層建筑的設(shè)計結(jié)合了“空中花園”，包括您設(shè)計的法蘭克福商業(yè)銀行。在您看來，未來的高層建筑將會有怎樣的發(fā)展趨勢？

NF: 我相信，我們會繼續(xù)歷經(jīng)高層建筑發(fā)展成為一種對人口增長和城市化加劇的共同需要做出回應(yīng)的建筑類型。在城市關(guān)系中，能源消耗和密度的關(guān)系至關(guān)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，密度極高的城市具有低水平的能源消耗。盡管如此，未來也有希望發(fā)展低層但高密度的城市，無論是我們對中東模式進行重新解釋的馬斯達爾城，還是哥本哈根、馬德里和倫敦那樣傳統(tǒng)的歐洲模式。

WA:北京國際機場T3航站樓是世界上最先進的、乘客容量最大的航站樓，它最終的建成效果是否符合您的預(yù)期？與香港赤鱲角國際機場相比，這個項目有哪些發(fā)展？

NF: 它的空間在精神和城市方面符合我們的預(yù)期。它漂亮地履行了作為奧運會大門的職責(zé)。我還記得無休止的預(yù)演，模擬乘客攜帶武器用行李引爆系統(tǒng)，模擬內(nèi)部火車中擁擠的狀況。所有這些細致的準備工作都是值得的，結(jié)果是在奧運會期間特殊的壓力和客容量的情況下，它仍能平穩(wěn)高效地運行。在建造方面，它同樣讓人印象深刻。本地工業(yè)和技術(shù)人員高效地完成建造的技術(shù)能力也讓我印象深刻。T3航站樓相當于5個希思羅機場航站樓的大小，而且其中17%的面積在同一屋頂下，而倫敦希思羅機場的建造耗時50年，在北京同等大小的空間僅用4年時間就完成了！

北京機場的設(shè)計可以被看作是斯坦斯特德機場模式的進一步發(fā)展。在斯坦斯特德機場中，我們回歸到空中旅行的本質(zhì)，設(shè)法重獲早期機場的清晰度。它沒有當時機場航站樓常見的迷宮般的路線或變換的樓層。香港機場，以其輕盈的屋頂、自然光以及將服務(wù)、行李托運和運輸整合在建筑內(nèi)，完善了斯坦斯特德機場的模式。北京機場以同樣的清晰度和邏輯組織，在宏大的尺度下進一步發(fā)展了這種模式。它的形式以及屋頂色彩（從朱紅色過渡到金黃色）和柱子的使用喚起了一種場所感，符合它在國家中心作為大門的職能。

WA:在T3航站樓的設(shè)計和建造期間，您一定多次到訪北京，您對北京城市的印象如何？這些印象對T3航站樓的設(shè)計產(chǎn)生過影響嗎？能談?wù)勀鷮χ袊F(xiàn)代建筑的看法嗎？您認為中國怎樣能夠更好地改善建筑環(huán)境的品質(zhì)？

NF: 北京讓我印象深刻的地方太多了，這也是我為什么多次來到這里——還經(jīng)常帶著我的妻子和孩子。機場設(shè)計的目標是要傳達這些體驗，并且要表現(xiàn)出中國的獨特魅力。它龍一般的外形和屋頂設(shè)計有意讓人聯(lián)想到中國傳統(tǒng)的色彩和象征，我過去描述過這樣的方式。

北京T3航站樓的建設(shè)在難以置信的緊張期限內(nèi)完成，實際上以它的規(guī)模在世界任何其他地方都是難以想像的。從這方面來看，我覺得，這個國家有能力把握大局。機場是一項重要的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施的投資，它是我們城市的未來和我們文化發(fā)展的關(guān)鍵，在我看來，中國已經(jīng)在這個問題上采取了主動。

WA:馬斯達爾城市規(guī)劃的目標是零碳、零廢物排放，整個城市的能源實現(xiàn)自給自足，城市中的交通為步行、自行車和節(jié)能的公共交通工具，馬斯達爾城是否就是您心目中未來城市發(fā)展的理想模式？您認為這種模式適用于其他現(xiàn)有的城市嗎？

NF: 從某種意義上說，馬斯達爾城是一種理想模式，它具有高密度并支持步行，而不是圍繞小汽車設(shè)計的不可持續(xù)的城市蔓延方式。然而，所有城市規(guī)劃模式必須是對它所在地區(qū)、氣候和文化的特殊回應(yīng)。通過馬斯達爾，我們嘗試在沙漠地區(qū)創(chuàng)建一座低碳城市，這里是地球上有人類居住的氣候最極端的地區(qū)之一。如果我們能在這里做到的話，在其他任何地方都能夠做到。我們在這里取得的經(jīng)驗必定適用于世界各地的城市。

但是，盡管我們的理念是固定的，設(shè)計結(jié)果卻會因為地點的不同而形成顯著的變化。比如，在沙漠地區(qū)，你追求的是蔭涼，而在西伯利亞你需要盡可能地獲取陽光。因此，建筑的實際空間和形式會千差萬別。從地方傳統(tǒng)中也可以學(xué)習(xí)到寶貴的經(jīng)驗，傳統(tǒng)的確立是以當?shù)氐牟牧虾图夹g(shù)適應(yīng)場所和氣候。在工業(yè)革命之前，建筑的發(fā)展已經(jīng)經(jīng)歷了幾個世紀。但是這些傳統(tǒng)在蒸汽時代開始逐漸消失，最終在能源廉價的時代被摒棄。安裝上空調(diào)之后，迪拜的建筑可以和倫敦的建筑一樣，盡管它們的氣候環(huán)境是完全相反的。從過去汲取靈感，我們能夠發(fā)展出既具有可持續(xù)性又根植于場所的回應(yīng)。

WA:最后，請您談?wù)劯Ｋ固厥聞?wù)所目前的運行方式。最近，你們將事務(wù)所改組成幾個不同合伙人負責(zé)的團隊，并且指定負責(zé)3號團隊的穆扎汗·馬吉迪作為你們的CEO。顯然，在這樣龐大的事務(wù)所中，您不可能參與每一個項目，但您仍然會挑選一些您特別關(guān)注的項目嗎？如果是這樣的話，哪些因素會影響您對項目的選擇？您如何保證如此眾多的不同項目和不同地區(qū)中設(shè)計的高水準？

NF: 我要補充一下，去年穆扎汗作為首席執(zhí)行官已經(jīng)獨立于團隊之外，3號團隊目前由盧克·福克斯負責(zé)。

建筑本來就是一項合作的事業(yè)，我作為福斯特事務(wù)所設(shè)計部的主管，監(jiān)管事務(wù)所的每一個項目，并且在項目發(fā)展的每一個階段對其進行評估——無論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學(xué)校，其發(fā)展壯大有賴于出色的評論家組成的評審體系，具有一致的設(shè)計準則；另一方面，它融合了國際咨詢公司的模式，堅信研究的重要性。我也會設(shè)計公司的運行方式，以確保我有盡可能多的時間參與設(shè)計——畢竟設(shè)計是我們的核心，也是一種個人的熱情?！酰椓侦?譯）

2 新的泰晤士河防洪壩和水利發(fā)電站，下方是道路和鐵路隧道/New combined Thames flood barrier and hydro power generator showing road and rail tunnels beneath.

3 新機場高速公路站效果圖/Visualization of High Speed Railway station at new airport

4 泰晤士樞紐鳥瞰效果圖，西面朝向泰晤士河入?？?Aerial view of Thames Hub looking west towards the Thames Estuary（1－4圖片來源/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. □