Wendy Cheesman

Wendy Ann Foster (; 1937 – 15 January 1989)

By June 1967, Foster and Rogers had decided to dissolve the firm. The Rogerses (Richard and Su) established Richard and Su Rogers Architects and the Fosters (Norman Foster and Wendy Foster, née Cheesman) established Foster Associates. This transformational era in the field of architecture was dominated by male designers, Norman Foster among them. However, what many fail to realize is the number of female architects who not only influenced, but helped the movement thrive. Wendy Foster, as a member of Team 4, aided in the design of the Reliance Controls factory–a manufacturing site for precision electronic tools–which became one of the first high-tech buildings in the United Kingdom. Her contributions to the movement were essential to its rise and the lasting fame of her and her partners’ firm.

Personal life and death Wendy Cheesman married Norman Foster in 1964. She died of cancer in 1989, aged 51, when she was still a partner/director at Foster Associates.