The
Architecture website [ visit link
]
tells us:
"The Jubilee Line Extension was one
of the triumphs of British engineering and architecture of the late twentieth
century. Accompanying the regeneration of the London Docklands, it opened up
huge swathes of south and east London for redevelopment. The architecture and
planning of Docklands have been much criticised. Most, however, agree that
aesthetically and functionally the Jubilee Line is a great
success.
Each station on the line is
striking, but perhaps the most impressive is Canary Wharf (1991-99). Designed to
allow access to the vast office and commercial development there, its scale is
phenomenal. Unlike most other tube stations, for once, space was available.
Thus, rather than being hidden deep beneath other buildings, above this can be
found landscaped gardens and great glass canopies, lighting the station
beneath.
Users are met with light, spacious
interiors. The architecture is restrained: smooth grey concrete and cool steel
dominate. The glass melts into the concrete vaulting
Below, the sleek, shiny escalators
take centre stage, carrying many thousands daily. Who would think that this was
once a busy dock, the new station walls holding back the might of both earth and
water?"
The National
Archives website [ visit link
]
additionally tells us:
"Built
entirely underground, Canary Wharf Underground Station uses a simple layout and
dramatic design features to create a highly usable and durable space. Designed
by Foster & Partners.
Canary Wharf Underground Station is
built in a hollow of the former West India Dock. It is intensively used, with
more peak time travellers than those using Oxford Circus.Constructed using
'cut-and-cover' techniques, the station itself is entirely underground. The only
elements of the building that are visible externally are the vaulted glass
canopies above the entrances. The roof of the station - the building's 'lid' -
has been landscaped as a public park, with grass, trees, seating, fountains and
paths. On entering the station concourse from either the platforms or from
surface level at Canary Wharf, the large size of this space makes a notable
impact.
Internally, the station's scale is
monumental. However, effective organisation of the space and clear design,
including good lighting, create a reassuring passenger experience within the
space.
The building is commended for its
clarity, simplicity, spatial quality and memorable
image."
The Mr Foster Movie website [visit link] tells us about Norman
Foster:
"Norman Foster was born in
Manchester in 1935. After graduating from Manchester University School of
Architecture and City Planning in 1961 he won a Henry Fellowship to Yale
University, where he gained a Master’s Degree in Architecture.
He is the founder and chairman of Foster + Partners.
Founded in London in 1967, it is now a worldwide practice, with project offices
in more than twenty countries. Over the past four decades the company has been
responsible for a strikingly wide range of work, from urban masterplans, public
infrastructure, airports, civic and cultural buildings, offices and workplaces
to private houses and product design. Since its inception, the practice has
received 470 awards and citations for excellence and has won more than 86
international and national competitions.
Current and recent work includes the largest single
building on the planet, Beijing Airport, the redevelopment of Dresden Railway
Station, Millau Viaduct in France, the Swiss Re tower and the Great Court at the
British Museum in London, an entire University Campus for Petronas in Malaysia,
the Hearst Headquarters tower in New York, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the
Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington
and research centres at Stanford University, California.
He became the 21st Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate
in 1999 and was awarded the Praemium Imperiale Award for Architecture in 2002.
He has been awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for
Architecture (1994), the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture (1983), and the Gold
Medal of the French Academy of Architecture (1991). In 1990 he was granted a
Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, and in 1999 was honoured with a Life
Peerage, becoming Lord Foster of Thames Bank."