Norman Foster

In its empire days, the Industrial Revolution, it led the world.

We're still trading right now on that.

I mean, the Thames Embankment was a response to cholera.

It created, if you like, systems thinking and doing more with less.

It also introduced below-ground high-speed public transport.

It cleaned up the Thames.

So that period

you had the expression of that civic pride.

I started work at the age of 16 in Manchester Town Hall, which was the ultimate statement of civic pride.

And it was a competition.

And Waterhouse won that competition.

That was my first experience of architecture.

Took me

a little longer to eventually discover that I could study architecture.

So I was a late starter at the age of 21.

But I can remember vividly right now details of that building.

I mean, that really lifted my spirit.

So whether it was the great train stations, and of course, today, it's the great airports.

So if you really want to see the most advanced airports in the world, where do you go?

I mean, it's obvious.