Norman Foster Institute, a Great Example of Architecture Social Responsibility

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All images by Pablo Gómez-Ogando & Norman Foster Institute

There is a saying that an Architect’s first responsibility is the people who are affected by his work. Architecture can create better places, and can affect the society with a major role in creating civilization and make a community more livable. In order to demonstrate this in our day to day practice in the profession of architecture, we must understand the importance of critical thinking, research and inventive mindset. You may argue that you chose the field of architecture because you have a calling to take a role in influencing the built environment.

I will say architecture education is also to facilitate the development of critical thinking abilities, which can be applied to solving problems and addressing situations beyond design. Architect Norman Foster understands this phenomena, that’s why his foundation have selected the best hands including the African born Pritzker Prize winner Architect Francis Kere who also have made some great impacts to humanity through his foundation known as Kere Foundation to oversee the lineup courses of Norman Foster Institute.

The Norman Foster Institute combines practical on-site experience with academic input from international experts.

In an effort to respond to the growing importance and challenges presented by urbanization with research based experience, a foundation owned by one of the world’s most renown architects, architect Norman Foster, known as the Norman Foster Foundation (NFF) have engage on an initiative Named the Norman Foster Institute (NFI), the educational initiative combines practical on-site experience with academic input from international experts. The foundation’s first program is On Sustainable Cities, adopting the objective to improve the living quality in cities around the world. Scholars visit three pilot cities and engage directly with their planners, conducting urban analyses in search of improving the way areas function. Based on that, the Norman Foster Institute Labs give access to state-of-the-art digital technologies, such as (AI) artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and interactive interfaces.

The Institute is currently accepting applications for its first academic program On Sustainable Cities, starting in Madrid in January 2024 according to Designboom website.

Overseeing the course is Professor Edgar Pieterse, Alejandro Aravena, Francis Kéré, and Deborah Berke

With the exclusive idea of helping the new generations to anticipate the future, from its inception in 2017, the foundation’s mission has been to promote interdisciplinary thinking and research to help new generations anticipate the future. These are the core values that the Norman Foster Institute creates, connecting young innovative designers and thinkers to working together with recognized urban planners. Lord Norman Foster and co-director Kent Larson, Head of the City Science group at MIT’s Media Lab, lead a body of distinguished global experts. Among the team overseeing the course is Professor Edgar Pieterse, Alejandro Aravena, Francis Kéré, and Deborah Berke.

The first program is 36 weeks long and consists of three stages; Foundations, Transformations and Interventions.

The first program On Sustainable Cities will be a 36 weeks long programme that consists of three stages; Foundations, Transformations and Interventions. Foundations composes an in-depth study of the concepts and processes based in history, governance, ethics and metrics, necessary to define a sustainable city, as Special emphasis is put on the ‘importance of a place’, building upon ideas of the ‘townscape/cityscape’, as well as different strategies of urban-space making.

The section of transformations is to provide an examination of challenges and opportunities for changes in each city. This aspect studies six of the fields in which a city could be defined; climate & natural environments, networks & mobility, planning & building, resources & energy, economy & social activity, and culture & the arts.

Interventions enable ideas to reduce embodied and operational emissions while improving public health, creating a new vision for the community. This stage tests a myriad of strategies for sustainable improvement in each field for the various pilot neighborhoods.

NFI Labs give access to technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality and interactive interfaces.

According to Architect Norman Foster, president of the Norman Foster Foundation. ‘The course is like an hourglass; starting wide in its scope, then narrowing down to focus on tangible issues that can be quantified and addressed, and finally, opening up to a wider debate.’

The course addresses the constructs which shape our cities, such as; leadership, advocacy, communication, presentation, diagramming, mapping, and interpreting data. The scholars present their findings to the city administration and the lessons from real-life experiences presented in a public event.