Architecture Is The Art of Building

I believe passionately that architecture is a social art

—a necessity and not a luxury—

That it is concerned with the quality of life and the creation of benefits.

This focus on the social dimension acknowledges that architecture is generated by the needs of people

—both spiritual and material. it has much to do with optimism, joy, and reassurance—

Of order in a disordered world,

Of privacy in the midst of many,

Of space on a crowded site,

Of light on a dull day.

It is about quality:

The quality of the space and the poetry of the light that models it.

For me, architecture is the art of building.

I am interested too in the way that the design process can question our assumptions about buildings

And can reconcile needs which are often in conflict.

Sometimes this process can lead through innovation to the reinvention of a building type.

In that sense, design is a process of integration.

by Norman Foster