This collection explores the role of storytelling in the drawings of Foster Associates held in the Norman Foster Foundation archive. From the 1970s onward, Foster Associates began to complement their existing drawing repertoire with the addition of storyboards. These approachable, cartoon-like drawings helped to explain the conceptual and experiential underpinnings of each project. Storyboards were not only used to communicate with clients but also served as in-house tools to establish a clear understanding of each project.

 · Special Care Unit, Hackney, London, United

  Kingdom 1972 - 1975   

· Gomera, Regional Planning Study, Canary Islands,

  Spain, 1975

· Community Project Centre, Cwmbran, United

  Kingdom, 1979

· Collserola Tower, Barcelona, Spain, 1988-1992
  

Illustrated Report to the Client, Special Care Unit 

Background 4, Community Project Centre, Cwmbran

Collserola Tower, Barcelona, Spain

Special Care Unit, Hackney, London, United Kingdom, 1972-1975

In 1975, Foster Associates was asked by long-time client Fred Olsen to explore the implications of a new ferry route in the Canary Islands between Tenerife, already a significant tourist destination, to La Gomera, which had remained relatively undeveloped. The firm undertook a comprehensive study of the island in order to explore the possibilities for introducing tourism without spoiling the island’s natural beauty. The vignettes drawn by Birking Haward form part of this strategy for the sustainable development by illustrating different transport and energy infrastructures such as wind power that might apply to the island. 

Gomera, Regional Planning Study, Canary Islands, Spain, 1975

In 1975, Foster Associates was asked by long-time client Fred Olsen to explore the implications of a new ferry route in the Canary Islands between Tenerife, already a significant tourist destination, to La Gomera, which had remained relatively undeveloped. The firm undertook a comprehensive study of the island in order to explore the possibilities for introducing tourism without spoiling the island’s natural beauty. The vignettes drawn by Birking Haward form part of this strategy for the sustainable development by illustrating different transport and energy infrastructures such as wind power that might apply to the island. 

Community Project Centre, Cwmbran, United Kingdom, 1979 

For a proposed Community Project Centre in Wales, Birkin Haward produced a sequence of nearly one hundred coloured vignettes. These playful drawings begin by introducing the motivation for this experimental community centre: youth unemployment and a lack of entertainment in the New Town of Cwmbran. In response, vignettes of live music, trade workshops, and more explore a multitude of strategies for reinvigorating the community by removing conventional social and economic barriers. The later illustrations in the series then schematically explore the spatial and structural possibilities for accommodating this project’s new approach to providing community resources. 

Collserola Tower, Barcelona, Spain, 1992

The concept sketches for the Torre Collserola trace the evolution of telecommunications infrastructure over time as it grew to be a larger and larger burden on the landscape. For this commission outside of Barcelona, Foster Associates established an approach for consolidating the clutter of these telecommunication systems in a flexible structure that would accommodate rapidly changing technological needs. Rather than consigning the Torre Collserola to a mere infrastructural necessity for the 1992 Olympic Games, the drawings work to develop a new landmark gracefully integrated into the landscape surrounding Barcelona.