Foster + Partners

Biography
Norman Foster
Norman Foster was born in Manchester in 1935. After graduating from Manchester University School of Architecture and City Planning in 1961 he won a Henry Fellowship to Yale University, where he gained a Master’s Degree in Architecture.

He is the founder and chairman of Foster + Partners. Founded in London in 1967, it is now a worldwide practice, with project offices in more than twenty countries. Over the past four decades the company has been responsible for a strikingly wide range of work, from urban masterplans, public infrastructure, airports, civic and cultural buildings, offices and workplaces to private houses and product design. Since its inception, the practice has received 470 awards and citations for excellence and has won more than 86 international and national competitions.

Current and recent work includes the largest single building on the planet, Beijing Airport, the redevelopment of Dresden Railway Station, Millau Viaduct in France, the Swiss Re tower and the Great Court at the British Museum in London, an entire University Campus for Petronas in Malaysia, the Hearst Headquarters tower in New York, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and research centres at Stanford University, California.

He became the 21st Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate in 1999 and was awarded the Praemium Imperiale Award for Architecture in 2002. He has been awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for Architecture (1994), the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture (1983), and the Gold Medal of the French Academy of Architecture (1991). In 1990 he was granted a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, and in 1999 was honoured with a Life Peerage, becoming Lord Foster of Thames Bank.

Way we work
To undertake consistently, in a decade, some of the biggest projects in the world, needs depth of resources. In that sense, ‘size matters’. The practice is more than one thousand strong, with offices in twenty-two countries and a highly talented team drawn from more than fifty nations. However, creativity and personal service are best nurtured by the compact group where ‘small is beautiful’. The resolution of these apparently conflicting ideals is mirrored in the practice’s structure.

The strategic direction of the practice is guided by the executive board. Members of this board are: Norman Foster, Mouzhan Majidi as chief executive, Spencer de Grey and David Nelson as joint heads of design, Matthew Streets as chief financial officer, with Grant Brooker and Nigel Dancey as senior executives. The practice is organised into six design groups, each with a senior partner as leader. All of these individuals have been chosen for their proven track record over many years in the practice, combining creativity and attention to detail with delivery and management skills. The group leaders are: Grant Brooker (Group 1), David Summerfield (Group 2), Mouzhan Majidi (Group 3), Stefan Behling (Group 4), Gerard Evenden (Group 5) and Nigel Dancey (Group 6). Allied with this core group is a younger generation of partners who are central to the continuing evolution of the practice.

The groups are not shaped by specialisation of building type or geographical location. Each group has a rich cross-section of projects – large and small – around the world, which may range from an office building in London to a sustainable community in the desert. This diversity is good for creativity, innovation and motivation. The tight-knit nature of the groups also ensures personal service and close contact between the design team and the client, from the first meetings to the hand-over of the finished building. As part of this process, key members of the design team will move with the project to the building site, wherever that is in the world, and will maintain a local office until the project is complete.

The design of each new project is reviewed regularly, both formally and informally. This process takes place under the direction of the design board, which has been created in the spirit of ‘challenging and being challenged’. The board balances the greater spread of responsibility in the groups with a broader overview of shared values, coupled to a process that can initiate design as well as review it. Chaired by Norman Foster, design authority rests with Heads of Design, David Nelson and Spencer de Grey in his absence. Chief executive, Mouzhan Majidi and Armstrong Yakubu are also permanent members of the design board and are joined by advisors Stefan Behling, Nigel Dancey and Narinder Sagoo.

Until recently, Mouzhan Majidi, as leader of Group 3, was focused on his own projects, both in the London studio and on sites around the world. Now, as chief executive, he combines a strategic involvement in design through his own team and the design board with his primary responsibilities for the management of the practice. Similarly, Spencer de Grey and David Nelson, who have each led many of the practice’s most important projects, are able to range much wider, engaging through the design board with every new project, as well as working creatively with the teams.

Stefan Behling, leader of Group 4, brings to bear his expertise in ecology and sustainability, combining his role in the practice with that of Professor of Architecture at Stuttgart University. Nigel Dancey, leader of Group 6, has a particular interest in the interface with clients and user groups and the social agenda. Armstrong Yakubu will have particular responsibility for the development of design from its strategic concept to its detailed realisation. Narinder Sagoo offers another perspective. A younger architect, he is responsible for graphic visualisations across selected projects. The composition and leadership of the design board will develop and rotate over time, with the potential for mobility between groups and the board.

In developing and communicating the design concept, the six groups are complemented by a range of specialist disciplines, including materials and environmental research, product design, space planning, interior design, communications, graphics, visualisations, model making, and 3D computer modelling. From appointment through to translating the design into built reality, the project teams are supported by a range of in-house disciplines. We have specialist teams with particular expertise in information technology, contract management and construction; these teams are led by Graham Young, Mark Sutcliffe and Paul Kalkhoven respectively, all of whom are senior partners. Senior partner, Brandon Haw, is responsible for business development.

The advent of digital technologies has allowed us to design and build structures with complex geometric forms that would not have been feasible as little as twenty years ago. The practice’s specialist modelling group has an advanced 3D computer modelling capability that allows architects to explore design solutions rapidly and to communicate data to consultants and contractors. While new technologies have transformed the way we work, traditional model making still plays a crucial role and our sophisticated model shop can produce everything from sketch models to full size mock-ups.

The practice also has an information centre with a comprehensive materials research centre that helps architects to select products and initiates the use of new materials, ensuring that we have the knowledge base to create inspirational as well as sustainable buildings. We have been at the forefront in investigating sustainable technologies since the 1970s – long before the term ‘green’ was familiar to most people. Our ambition today is to establish a sustainability profile for every project.

This development tool allows each team to determine targets and methods at the beginning of each project. In doing so, our aim is to provide a system to monitor the sustainability agenda of individual projects and to promote a strong sustainable design ethic. Each design team is encouraged to record its sustainable design methods, regardless of the project’s size, location or type. This information is collated in a database that can be accessed throughout the practice to inform subsequent projects.

We recognise, however, that as architects we are only as powerful as our advocacy. We understand that not every project will be able to meet all the desired criteria. Equally, we believe that we have a responsibility to try to persuade clients to adopt sustainable strategies – even small steps in the right direction are better than none at all. Our sustainability forum was established to promote the use of sustainable technologies and methods throughout the practice. The forum is part of the research and development group, whose role is to ensure that the practice remains at the forefront of architectural innovation. It is an interdisciplinary working group, with representatives from the six design groups, the information centre, communications, training, and research departments.

These representatives provide the crucial link between the forum’s resources and knowledge and the individual design teams. This sustainability methodology is augmented by providing formal and informal training to the practice’s staff on a range of issues, including renewable energy sources, sustainability criteria and assessment, environmental analysis, and visualisation techniques. By maintaining a commitment to internal and external research, we are not only up-to-date with new knowledge and techniques, but are also able to evaluate their relevance and appropriateness for individual projects. These measures ensure that environmental awareness is an integral part of the practice’s culture as it evolves to meet the challenges of the next forty years.

Foster + Partners has always been guided by a belief that the quality of our surroundings has a direct influence on the quality of our lives, whether that is in the workplace, at home or in the public realm. Allied to that is an acknowledgement that architecture is generated by the needs of people - both material and
spiritual - and a concern for the physical context and the culture and climate of place. Equally, excellence of design and its successful execution are central to our approach.

We believe the best architecture comes from a synthesis of all the elements that separately comprise and inform the character of a building: the structure that holds it up; the services that allow it to function; its ecology; the quality of natural light; the symbolism of the form; the relationship of the building to the skyline or the streetscape; the way you move through or around it; and last but not least its ability to lift the spirits.

This holistic approach is augmented by a strong commitment to the clients we serve, and also to the public domain and the many users involved. A high degree of personal service, coupled with respect for the precious resources of cost and time, therefore characterises our client relationships. The scale, diversity and global reach of our new projects were unimaginable 40 years ago, yet many of the issues that excited us in the early days continue to inform what we do today.

We work in the spirit of enquiry, challenging preconceptions and testing conventions. The process of ‘reinvention’ distinguishes all of our work – past and present – and rests on a duty to design well and to design responsibly – whether that is at the scale of an airport or a door handle. The last decades have witnessed key shifts in public attitudes to ecology and energy consumption. We have always anticipated these trends, pioneering design solutions that use totally renewable sources of energy and offer dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions. Environmental awareness is an integral part of the practice’s culture as it evolves to meet the challenges of the next forty years.

2008
New York Public Library, New York
Lewisham College, London

2007
Yale School of Management, New Haven, USA
Camp Nou Stadium FC Barcelona, Spain
Beach Road, Singapore
Masdar Development, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Motorcity, Leisure and Cultural Zone, Alcañiz, Aragon, Spain
Seattle Civic Square, USA
Spaceport, New Mexico, USA

2006
Tivoli Four Seasons Hotel, Copenhagen
Project Honor, Racine, Winsconsin
New Holland Island, St Petersburg

2005
Boulogne Billancourt, Paris
Peace Pyramid, Astana, Kazakhstan

2004
Arizona State University, USA
Smithsonian Patent Office Building Courtyard Enclosure, Washington DC
Zenith, Saint-Etienne, France

2003
Pelham Square, Hastings, East Sussex
Convention Center Site Redevelopment for Hines|Smith, Washington DC
Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3
Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York
Regent Theatre Development, Sydney, Australia

2002
TVA Station, Florence, Italy
Frankfurt Airport Masterplan, Germany
West Kowloon Cultural Complex Masterplan, Hong Kong

2000
Elephant and Castle Masterplan, London
New Supreme Court, Singapore

1999
ENEL High-voltage Pylons for the Environment Italy
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
New Parliament building for Greater London Authority

1998
National Stadium, Wembley, London
Motorway Signage System

1997
Free University of Berlin new Library
Headquarters for Electronic Arts, England
The Sage Gateshead, Regional Music Centre

1996
Faculty of Management and Library, Oxford University
Center for Clinical Sciences Research, Stanford University, California
Millennium Bridge, London
World Squares for All, London
Redevelopment of the Baltic Exchange, London Millennium Tower, London
Redevelopment of Treasury offices, Whitehall, London
Multimedia Centre, Hamburg
Wembley Stadium Masterplan, London
Arsta Bridge Sweden
Showrooms and offices for Samsung Motors
North Greenwich Interchange

1995
Housing and offices Gerling Ring, Cologne
Stations on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (St Pancras, Stratford and Ebbsfleet)
Murr Tower, Beirut
Criterion Place Development, Leeds

1994
Great Court, British Museum London
Al Faisaliah Complex, Riyadh
Mixed use Development at Zhongshan Guangzhou, China
Millau viaduct, France

1993
Masterplan for Lisbon Expo
Regional HQ for Electricite de France, Bordeaux France
Albertopolis masterplan for South Kensington, London
Imperial War Museum, Hartlepool
Library, London School of Economics

1992
Thames Valley Business Park, Reading
Hong Kong International airport at Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong
Musée de la Préhistoire, Gorges du Verdon, France
New Wing Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha USA
Reichstag new German parliament Berlin Germany
Business Park, Berlin Germany

1991
Commerzbank HQ, Frankfurt Germany
Duisburg Inner Harbour Masterplan, Germany
Lycée Albert Camus Fréjus, France
Canary Wharf Station, Jubilee Line Extension, London

1990
Law Faculty Library at University of Cambridge
Viaduct, Rennes, France
DS2 Tower, Canary Wharf, London
Fonta Business Park, Toulouse, France

1989
Cranfield University Library, Bedfordshire UK

1988
Metro system, Bilbao, Spain
Collserola Telecommunications tower, Barcelona, Spain

1987
Masterplan for King's Cross Railway Lands, London

1984
Carre d'Art, Contemporary Arts Centre, Nimes, France

1982
Headquarters for BBC, London

1981
National German Indoor Athletics Stadium, Frankfurt

1979
Hongkong Bank Headquarters Hong Kong

2009
Norman Foster Works 5
Prestel

2008
Foster Catalogue
Prestel

2007
Wembley Stadium: Venue of Legends
Prestel
Foster 40
Prestel

2006
30 St Mary Axe: A Tower for London
Merrell Publishers Ltd
BUILDING THE GHERKIN
Norman Foster Works 3
Prestel

2005
Norman Foster: Catalogue
Prestel
Philologische Bibliothek Der Freien Universitat Berlin
Stadtwandel Verlag
Reflections
Prestel
Norman Foster: Works 2
Prestel

2004
Norman Foster Works 4
Prestel

2003
Reichstag Graffiti
Jovis Verlag GmbH
Norman Foster Works 1
Prestel

2002
Blade of Light: The Story of the Millennium Bridge
Penguin Books
Reichstag Berlin (Second Edition)
Stadtwandel Verlag
The Treasury Project Mark Power
Photoworks

2001
Norman Foster Catalogue 2001
Prestel
Norman Foster and The British Museum
Prestel
Architecture is About People : Norman Foster
Museum für Angewandte Kunst
Norman Foster : The Architects Studio
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark

2000
On Foster...Foster On
Prestel
Rebuilding The Reichstag
Weidenfeld Illustrated
The Reichstag: The Parliament Building by Norman Foster
Prestel
The Norman Foster Studio: Consistency Through Diversity
E and F N Spon
The Great Court and The British Museum
The British Museum Press

1999
Norman Foster: A Global Architecture
Thames and Hudson
GA Document Extra 12: Norman Foster
A.D.A. Edita Tokyo
Norman Foster : AV Monografias / Monographs 78
Arquitectura Viva

1998 Veronica Rudge Green Prize
Harvard University Graduate School of Design

1998
Norman Foster - 30 Colours
V+K Publishing

1997
Norman Foster: Selected and Current Works of Foster and Partners
Images Publishing
Sir Norman Foster
Taschen
Commerzbank Frankfurt:Prototype for an Ecological High-Rise
Birkhauser Verlag
Norman Foster : selected and current works of Foster and Partners
Images Publishing

1996
The Architecture of Information: Venice Biennale 1996
The British Council
Norman Foster: Foster Associates Buildings and Projects 1982-1989 Volume 4
Watermark Publications
The Economy of Architecture
Eindhoven University of Technology
Foster and Partners Architects Designers and Planners
Foster and Partners

1995
Deutsche Projekte - Sir Norman Foster and Partners
Architekturgalerie München

1994
Blueprint Extra 11: Carre d'Art Nimes
Wordsearch
Norman Foster Arquitectura, urbanismo y medio ambiente
Fundacio San Benito de Alcantara

1993
The Willis Faber Dumas Building: Ipswich 1974
Phiadon Press

1992
Blueprint Extra 06: Telecommunications Tower, Barcelona.
Wordsearch
Blueprint Extra 04: The Sackler Galleries
Wordsearch
Norman Foster and the Architecture of Flight
Blueprint Monograph
Norman Foster
A&V
Foster Associates Recent Works - Architectural Monograph No 20
Academy Editions
Norman Foster Sketches
Birkhauser Verlag
Norman Foster Sketches (edited version)
Birkhauser Verlag

1991
Norman Foster
Birkhauser Verlag
Norman Foster: Foster Associates Buildings and Projects 1978-1985 Volume 3
Watermark Publications

1990
Norman Foster: Foster Associates Buildings and Projects 1971-1978 Volume 2
Watermark Publications
Norman Foster: Team Four/Foster Associates Buildings and Projects 1964-1973 Vol 1
Watermark Publications

1989
Hongkong Bank: The Building of Norman Foster's Masterpiece
Jonathan Cape

1988
Norman Foster
Zanichelli
Norman Foster
Gustavo Gilli

1987
Norman Foster
A+U Monograph

1986
Foster, Rogers, Stirling
Thames and Hudson
Norman Foster: Une Volonte du Fer
Electa Moniteur

1985
Foster Associates: Six Architectural Projects 1975-1985
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts

1978
Foster Associates
RIBA Publications

Considering the large number of awards received by Foster + Partners, we kindly ask our visitors to refer directly to:
http://www.fosterandpartners.com/

Considering the large number of exhibitions about Foster + Partners, we kindly ask our visitors to refer
directly to: http://www.fosterandpartners.com/