Norman Foster. Networks offers a firsthand insight into the ideas, influences, and connections that have shaped the work of one of the greatest architects of our time. Written and compiled by Foster himself, the book gathers eight compelling essays in which he understands architecture not merely as a professional activity but as an intersection of passions, disciplines, and lived experiences.

In the essay Roots, Foster reflects on his humble beginnings in Manchester and his early passion for aviation, which has shaped his life and thinking from the start. In Flight, it becomes clear how this fascination has inspired his pursuit of lightness, efficiency, and technical elegance in architecture. Alpine, finally, reveals his deep connection to the Alpine landscape, where he built his own “house of the future,” illustrating how place, climate, and topography continue to shape his view of architecture today.

In Nature, Art, and Making, Foster explains how closely these creative fields are intertwined with his architectural practice. The essays Place and Cities broaden the perspective by addressing memory, identity, and urban life, showing how buildings collectively shape the public environment.

Illustrated with nearly 1,000 photos, sketches, artworks, film stills, and other cultural references, this extraordinary book is both a visual atlas and an intellectual framework. It reveals the fundamental ideas and thought structures underlying Foster’s work and serves as a self-reflection on the thoughts behind iconic projects such as Apple Park in Cupertino, the Reichstag in Berlin, the Great Court of the British Museum in London, the Millau Viaduct in France, and the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi. It brings into focus the ideas, curiosities, and connections that define this giant of modern architecture.