Norman Foster

What a clever old stick the architect Norman (Lord) Foster is. I love his modernist approach to building, whether it's a new build from scratch or enhancement of classic buildings like the British Library in London or the German Bundestag. Here are some examples.

Greater London Authority 2001.

Hearst Tower in Manhattan, New York was opened at the end of the last year. The 42 levels tower is characteristic by a glass and metal-skinned facade with huge diagonal grid, which make multi-story corner triangles. The building was constructed using 85 percent recycled steel and designed to consume 26 percent less energy than its conventional neighbours.

The cupola of the building housing the German Bundestag (lower house of parliament) 1999

30 St Mary Axe, inevitably known as the Gherkin, Norman Foster's London landmark raised the bar for sustainable skyscrapers around the world. Its distinctive tapering profile is the key to its energy efficiency because it creates a pressure differential between inside and outside, driving fresh air into the building.

The Sage Gateshead is a centre for musical education, performance and conferences, located in Gateshead on the south bank of the River Tyne, in the north-east of England. It opened in 2004.

The Great Court of the British Museum, with the new tessellated roof arching around the original circular Reading Room of the British Library.