norman foster biography norman foster was born in manchester, england in 1935. his father was a shop manager in a poor area of manchester, later a sucurity guard and a manual worker in a factory. his parents sent him to a private school and grammar school. there was a strong work ethic and pressure to leave school early and be a wage earner and foster worked for two years in the city treasurer's office, studied commercial law, before leaving for national service in the royal air force. at this time he was developing a growing interest in architecture. when he came out of the air force he worked in a bakery, sold furniture, worked in a factory... after graduating from manchester university school of architecture and city planning in 1961, which he entered at age 21, he won a fellowship to yale university wherehe gained a masters degree in architecture and where he got to know richard rogers. they became very close friends and in 1963 he worked with him and sue rogers, gorgie wolton and his wife, wendy foster, as a member of 'team 4' until foster associates was found in 1967 (now known as foster and partners).

since its inception the practice has received more than 190 awards and citations for excellence and has won over 50 national and international competitions. 1968 - 1983 cooperation with buckminster fuller on a number of projects. foster was awarded the RIBA royal gold medal in
1983, and in 1990 the RIBA trustees medal was made for the willis faber dumas building. he was knighted in 1990, and recieved the gold medal of the AIA in 1994. he was appointed officer of the order of the arts and letters by the ministry of culture in france in 1994. it was announced in the queen's birthday honours list on 12 June 1999 that sir norman foster has been honoured with a life peerage, taking the title lord foster of thames bank. and in the same year he was awarded the prestigious 21st pritzker architecture prize laureate
–