Crystal Nomos Table by Norman Foster for Tecno, Italy, 1989

With over 250 projects in 40 countries around the world, the extremely prolific Lord Norman Robert Foster (b.1935) is arguably the most successful architect of our time. Often (and increasingly) driven by a sustainable approach, his designs will doubtlessly have a lasting impact for generations to come.

Foster was born into a working class family and raised in the industrial city of Manchester, England. From an early age he exhibited an interest in architecture, drawing inspiration from his hometown, as well as from his idols Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier. Foster studied at the School of Architecture and City Planning at the University of Manchester (g.1961) and subsequently at Yale University, where he obtained his Master’s degree in Architecture. During his time at Yale, Foster was exposed to architects Paul Rudolph (1918-1997), Serge Chermayeff (1900-1996), and Vincent Scully (b. 1920), who all had an influence on his work throughout his career.

In 1963, Foster, together with Su Brumwell, Wendy Cheesman, and Richard Rogers—whom he met during his time at Yale—founded the architectural practice Team 4 and soon gained recognition for high-tech design. In 1967, after Team 4 had disbanded, Foster and wife Wendy Cheesman (d. 1989) founded Foster Associates in London, which is now known as Foster + Partners. In the mid-1970s, the firm gained international acclaim with its design for the Willis Facer and Dumas headquarters (constructed between 1970 and 1975) in Ipswich, England. Foster’s sustainable design included an open-plan concept that was radical for its time.

Foster had a very fruitful partnership with architect Richard Buckminster Fuller, which lasted from 1968 until Fuller’s death in 1983. They collaborated on several projects that focused specifically on environmental awareness, including the Samuel Beckett Theatre project (1971) in Oxford. By rewriting strict architectural standards into more “green” or bio-friendly terms, Foster paved the way for a new genre of environmental architecture. Using natural resources, such as light and ventilation—alongside celebrating the quality of life within the spaces—Foster is a master of using technology as a means, not an end.

His well-known projects include the Millennium Tower in Japan (1989); the Reichstag in Berlin (1992-1999); 30 St. Mary Ace in London, known colloquially as the London Gherkin (1997-2004); the Great Court at the British Museum in London (1994-2000); and the World Trade Center in New York (2002). Beyond Foster’s many architectural accomplishments, he also maintains a successful career in furniture design, with standouts like Nomos Table (1987) for Tecno, Airline Seating System (1999) for Vitra, 505 Sofa and Table Series (2002) for Walter Knoll, RF1 Stacking Chair (2006) for Randers, and the Teso Table (2013) for Molteni.

Over the course of his illustrious career, Foster has received many awards and accolades, including the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture (1983), the Gold Medal of the Academy of Architecture of France (1991), the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal (1994), the 21st Pritzker Architect Prize Laureate (1999), and the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts (2009). He was knighted by the Queen of England in 1990 and given the title ‘Lord Foster of Thames Bank’ in 1999.

Today, Foster + Partners’ work spans a wide array of projects, from urban masterplans and public infrastructure to private housing and furniture design. If you are curious to hear more about Foster’s own thoughts on the future of design, check out his TED Talk for the 2007 DLD Conference in Munich, titled Norman Foster: My Green Agenda for Architecture. Here he discusses how architects can use computers to create pollution-free design. 

The roots of Italian industrial design company Tecno go back to the early 1920s, when woodworker and upholsterer Gaetano Borsani (1886-1955) set up Atelier Borsani Varedo (later called Arredamenti Borsani Varedo) in Varedo, Italy. In those early years, the family business produced fine, bespoke furnishings in a style that reflected the Art Deco movement as well as the artisanal traditions of the Brianza region of Lombardy. Participation in the Mostra Internazionale di Arte Decorative exhibitions in Monza earned Atelier Borsani acclaim in 1925, 1927, and 1930.

Gaetano’s twin sons Fulgenzio and Osvaldo Borsani took active roles in the company from an early age. While still studying architecture at Beaux-Arts Accedemia di Brera, Osvaldo designed a rationalist furniture collection, called Casa Minima, and presented it at the 5th Triennale di Milano in 1933. The project won a silver medal. Throughout the ’30s and ’40s, Atelier Borsani was commissioned by Lombary’s elite society to create furniture for large and upscale domestic and office interiors.

Following the Second World War, Osvaldo began to envision transitioning his family’s business from traditional craft production to industrial manufacturing—even though his father Gaetano did not like the idea. Osvaldo remained determined to use modernist principles to design for the changing lifestyles of the postwar era. Together with his brother Fulgenzio, Osvaldo founded a new company, Tecno, in 1953.

Tecno’s first factory-produced collection of sofas, chairs, and tables received an enthusiastic reception at the 10th Triennale di Milano in 1954. The simple, adjustable D70 Sofa Bed (1954) received honorable mention, and Osvaldo promptly patented the design. Tecno’s next big hit was the P40 Lounge (1956), an adjustable, reclining chair with built-in footrest. Both of these Tecno products have become beloved symbols of the golden age of Italian modernist design.

While Osvaldo was inspired by the functionalist theories of the pioneers of modernism that practiced the generation before him, the flexibility and multipurpose capacities of Tecno’s earliest designs can also be traced to the work produced by Atelier Borsani Varedo. Gaetano’s success was built upon creating well made, customized, and adaptable furnishings. Osvaldo’s primary aim, in contrast to his father’s, was to take smart design solutions to the masses, especially in the context of office buildings and public spaces, like train stations, airports, and hospitals. 

In 1957, Osvaldo received his first first large-scale commission to design office furniture for ENI, the Italian multinational oil and gas company. More major commissions followed, and Tecno became internationally known for designs based in advanced technology.

In 1968, Tecno introduced the Graphis Office System (1967)—designed by Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli (b. 1923)—at the 14th Triennale di Milano; it was heralded as a revolution in office furniture design because the system’s modular components allowed unlimited and customizable combinations that adapt overtime as companies grow and contract. It remained a bestseller for Tecno for decades.

In 1970, as Osvaldo began to step away from day-to-day operations and his son-in-law, Marco Fantoni, took a larger role—Tecno restructured its design approach. Underscoring the collaborative effort that goes into developing new designs, Tecno launched its Centro Progetti Tecno, an in-house team dedicated to communications and industrial design work. The Centro Progetti Tecno was responsible for a number of the company’s successes in the ’70s and ’80s, including the molded plastic Modus Office Chair (1972), which won the SMAU Prize in 1973; the steel mesh Waiting System (1983), a modular seating and table concept for large public spaces; and the rebranding of Alitalia worldwide (1982-84), for which Centro Progetti Tecno was award the Compasso d’Oro in 1984.

In the 1980s, Tecno began to commission outside designers to produced furniture designs—an approach that continues to this day. Highlights include Norman Foster’s Nomos Tables (1986); Luca Scacchetti’s Ianus Desk and Storage System (1988); Emilio Ambasz’s Qualis Chairs (1991), Piero Lissoni ‘s Asymmetrical System (2006); Rodolfo Dordoni’s PONS D011 Sofa and Table System (2011); Monica Förster’s Archipelago D502 Seating System (2012); and Luca Scacchetti’s Vara T503 Tables and Storage System (2013).

Tecno has also found success cultivating long-term partnerships with leading architects, who have commissioned Tecno to provide tailor-made furniture solutions for landmark buildings, such as Foster + Partners’ refurbished British Museum in London and Jean Nouvel's Agbar Tower in Barcelona.

In 2008, Tecno opened new Milan offices in the Porta Garibaldi Excise Buildings, following extensive adaptation and refurbishment work. Today, many Tecno products can be found in the collections of leading museums around the world such as  New York, SF MoMA, Victoria & Albert London, Pompidou Centre Paris, Neue Sammlung Monaco, Museum of Decorative Arts Montreal, and Triennale Milano.