Comparison Between Norman Foster and Alvar Aalto

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Norman Foster and Alvar Aalto are similar because of their sustainable architectural designs. They were both heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, who believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment. Alvar admired the Japanese sensitivity to natural materials and organic structures and utilized it in his designs, while Norman was interested in adaptability and addressing the issues surrounding our ever-expanding cities and infrastructures. They both incorporate sustainability into their designs, but in two different mindsets. Alvar was sensitive to contours of the land, angles and direction of the sunlight. He was also conscious of the need for social settings linked directly to natural surroundings with the use of natural landscape. He achieved this through natural living conditions and the use of natural materials. Nature, sun, trees and air all served as in creating a harmonious balance between natural and artificial. Norman’s design practices were not concerned merely with the design of individual buildings, but how they help sustain the world we live in. Unchecked urban sprawl is one of the major problems facing the world today, with our cities growing horizontally rather than vertically, swallowing up more and more land every year. Norman has addressed this by building flexibility into the structure of his buildings to cope with continuing change and to last through the decades. It’s the unfortunate truth that designers and architects seem to have changed their approaches over time from being environmentally friendly, to designs which hope to solve and prevent further negative impacts upon the environment, but it’s good to see people like Norman Foster, Alvar Aalto and increasing numbers of desginers and architects who consider sustainability practices in their designs, and greatly contribute to our society and

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