(Student’s Full Name)
Norman Foster, who clearly designed the HSBC Bank in Hong Kong and the Commerzbank in Frankfurt for the financial industry, employed two different approaches when designing each of these buildings. Foster when designing the HSBC Bank ensured that the building was created to facilitate and mirror the ways in which technology is used in today’s world. However, the Commerzbank edifice was designed by Foster to ensure the efficient use of energy while integrating green spaces into the architecture. It can be argued that Foster in designing the HSBC Bank the architect focused on technological innovation, but in designing the Commerzbank, Foster emphasized the theme of sustainability and integrating landscape with architecture. It can be argued that Foster in designing the HSBC Bank the architect focused on technological innovation, but in designing the Commerzbank, Foster emphasized the theme of sustainability.
When designing the building, Foster made the “drive for innovation” a major point of focus in creating the HSBC Bank (Wainwright par. 8). The architect required that many components of the building, which were created in various parts of the world, be “assembled in Hong Kong like a vertical jumbo jet” (Wainwright par. 8). When Foster made the decision to use this approach when creating the HSBC bank building, he became one of the “titans of the High Tech movement” by relying on “prefabrication” to create this edifice (Wainwright par. 8).
On the other hand, in designing the Commerzbank Foster focused more on creating a building that provided “natural ventilation” and use green spaces within the building to allow “vast amounts of light” into the building (Noble 68). Foster’s approach in creating the building in such a manner ensures that energy is used efficiently while persons occupy this building. Noble explains that large “quantities of light are brought directly to the center of the building” with the help of the gardens (74). Additionally, the “layered, operable façade” facilitates the ventilation of the offices within the building (Noble 77).
In conclusion, Foster in designing the HSBC Bank focused more integrating high tech elements in the creation of the building. On the other hand, Foster emphasized sustainability in his design of the Commerzbank. Therefore, the architect emphasized technological innovation in the HSBC Bank and focused on the theme of sustainability in his design of the Commerzbank.
Work Cited
Noble, Christian. “Commerzbank: A Sustainable Skyscarper (Norman Foster).” Civil Engineering of the Technical University of Lisbon. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. <http://www.civil.ist.utl.pt/~cristina/EBAP/FolhasEdifAltos/commerzbank/commerzbank.pdf>.
Wainwright, Oliver. “Norman Foster’s Hong Kong HSBC Headquarters Tore up the Rule Book – a History of Cities in 50 Buildings, Day 45.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 28 May 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/28/hong-kong-hsbc-hq-bank-history-cities-50-buildings>.
