Oscar Niemeyer and Norman Foster in Conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist

This book, which is part of the Ivorypress Architecture series, presents a conversation between Oscar Niemeyer and Norman Foster, for which Hans Ulrich Obrist was also present. A conversation that reveals the first and only encounter that took place between these two great architects, shortly before Niemeyer’s death.

The interview reveals many shared interests between the two architects, some of which were to be expected and others that are very surprising indeed. They shared a passion for the practice of drawing and a conviction of its centrality for architectural work.

“Architecture should not only be about designing a building that works well: it can also be beautiful, it can be different, it can be surprising, can’t it? In fact, surprise is the main element of a work of art.”
Oscar Niemeyer