Foster + Partners

Portfolio

Norman Foster’s sketch of the Vatican Pavilion Chapel.

Norman Foster

This book celebrates the breadth and complexity of work produced by Foster + Partners in its first fifty years, everything from the birth of Foster Associates in 1967 to the very end of 2017. I say ‘everything’ conscious of the fact that this is the first time in our history that we have published a full record of all our completed projects.

In discussions about our work, attention is often given to those of our projects that are more sensational – usually the tallest, longest or largest of their kind. This is not to question the popular appeal of the mega project. Historically, some of the world’s most epic works have been conceived by progressive civic and industrial leaders, executed by architects, engineers and builders, and then fully embraced by the public that they serve. So, my concern is not meant to disparage such worthy causes for celebration. It is rather a plea to recognise that sometimes the smaller, more modest projects are each in their own way of great significance. The communities that they serve may be much smaller, but the ripple effect can be out of all proportion to size.

Often, it is the story behind the scenes of these more modestly scaled projects that captures our imagination. For example, in Harlem, a less-advantaged district of New York City, fewer than half of the students graduate from high school. However, for the small portion of those who have been persuaded to join a new generation of rowing clubs, every single one has graduated high school – and a staggering 99 per cent of those graduates go on to enrol in college, compared to a city wide average of 57 6

per cent. This is a private charitable initiative called Row New York, which we have bought into by donating our services for a new boathouse on the Harlem River.

Our Maggie’s Centre in Manchester, which is also a pro bono project, is a base for counselling the many who have just been diagnosed with cancer and need the warmth of shelter and sympathetic advice. As a survivor of the disease, I know the important role that such a building can play for those seeking reassurance and comfort.

One of the most recent and tiniest projects is a chapel of 1,377 square feet (128 square metres) – part of a small group of pavilions commissioned by the Vatican for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. Located in the gardens of the Giorgio Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, it was originally conceived as a temporary building but has since been designated as [permanent]. The chapel is a walk-in tensegrity structure made almost entirely of wooden slats, overgrown by fragrant honeysuckle and held aloft by a minimal combination of steel cables and tubes, the latter defining a crucifix in space.

It caters to a flow of visitors, many finding it a place for calm and contemplation.

It is a paradox that such smaller projects are equally, if not more, demanding of skills, experience and time than many large works. All of this leads to the simple reality that every one of our projects is treated equally, regardless of size and commands the same level of love, care and attention. This book is a manifesto of that idea and is reflected in the decision to

assign just one page to each project. There is also recognition that from time to time some unbuilt projects are more important than those that have been realised, and therefore they have an equal right to prominence.

These glimpses of buildings, bridges, masterplans, furniture and products are accompanied by insights through the writings of the architectural critic, Peter Buchanan. The end result is a portfolio that charts the output of a design studio over more than five decades – a timeline of creative endeavour. What is not revealed are the roots, the origins, values and inspirations – the creative process that generates design.

The present practice grew through several iterations out of Foster Associates. As its founder, with my late wife Wendy in 1967, any insights that I give to these issues is inevitably going to be personal, especially as I am the only actively remaining individual from that period. This is notwithstanding the fact that every image in this book has only been made possible by a team effort and the dedication of many talented individuals.

This is as true now – when the combined teams total more than a thousand – as it was at the outset when there were two principals and a handful of young students.

Youth is one of the many key themes that link the present to the past. The fledgling practice of Foster Associates, founded with my late wife Wendy in 1967, was in microcosm, a version of the present with its continuing emphasis on young talent from around the world; we now have a presence in twelve countries.

This global view was first informed by a design philosophy

rooted in two mainstreams that were emerging in the 1960s.

They could be summed up first as the application of systems thinking – since labelled as a holistic approach to design – and second by an environmental awareness – now seen as the roots of a green movement. In terms of performance, the two streams have come together in the quest to ‘do more with less’ – a mantra often repeated by Buckminster Fuller, whom I collaborated with over the last twelve years of his life.

The two themes of a systems approach and the pursuit of sustainable design go hand-in-hand. For example, in a holistic systems building, the architecture is inseparable from the infrastructure of which it is a part – the region or a city.

And likewise, in sustainable design, when considering the consumption of energy, buildings and infrastructure are equally interdependent.

Our early interest in formulating a systems approach was the outcome of a number of influences. They range from the writings of individuals such as Norbert Wiener to mobilising school buildings in Britain and the United States to experimental houses in California and eventually to the personal experience of designing a factory in Wiltshire.

In the wake of the Second World War, the desperate need to rebuild in Britain created the Hertfordshire school system – one of several early attempts to industrialise a building programme through prefabrication. This in turn influenced a California version called School Construction Systems Development (SCSD). An early prototype captured the 7

Portfolio

Norman Foster’s sketch of the Vatican Pavilion Chapel.

Norman Foster

This book celebrates the breadth and complexity of work produced by Foster + Partners in its first fifty years, everything from the birth of Foster Associates in 1967 to the very end of 2017. I say ‘everything’ conscious of the fact that this is the first time in our history that we have published a full record of all our completed projects.

In discussions about our work, attention is often given to those of our projects that are more sensational – usually the tallest, longest or largest of their kind. This is not to question the popular appeal of the mega project. Historically, some of the world’s most epic works have been conceived by progressive civic and industrial leaders, executed by architects, engineers and builders, and then fully embraced by the public that they serve. So, my concern is not meant to disparage such worthy causes for celebration. It is rather a plea to recognise that sometimes the smaller, more modest projects are each in their own way of great significance. The communities that they serve may be much smaller, but the ripple effect can be out of all proportion to size.

Often, it is the story behind the scenes of these more modestly scaled projects that captures our imagination. For example, in Harlem, a less-advantaged district of New York City, fewer than half of the students graduate from high school. However, for the small portion of those who have been persuaded to join a new generation of rowing clubs, every single one has graduated high school – and a staggering 99 per cent of those graduates go on to enrol in college, compared to a city wide average of 57 6

per cent. This is a private charitable initiative called Row New York, which we have bought into by donating our services for a new boathouse on the Harlem River.

Our Maggie’s Centre in Manchester, which is also a pro bono project, is a base for counselling the many who have just been diagnosed with cancer and need the warmth of shelter and sympathetic advice. As a survivor of the disease, I know the important role that such a building can play for those seeking reassurance and comfort.

One of the most recent and tiniest projects is a chapel of 1,377 square feet (128 square metres) – part of a small group of pavilions commissioned by the Vatican for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. Located in the gardens of the Giorgio Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, it was originally conceived as a temporary building but has since been designated as [permanent]. The chapel is a walk-in tensegrity structure made almost entirely of wooden slats, overgrown by fragrant honeysuckle and held aloft by a minimal combination of steel cables and tubes, the latter defining a crucifix in space.

It caters to a flow of visitors, many finding it a place for calm and contemplation.

It is a paradox that such smaller projects are equally, if not more, demanding of skills, experience and time than many large works. All of this leads to the simple reality that every one of our projects is treated equally, regardless of size and commands the same level of love, care and attention. This book is a manifesto of that idea and is reflected in the decision to

assign just one page to each project. There is also recognition that from time to time some unbuilt projects are more important than those that have been realised, and therefore they have an equal right to prominence.

These glimpses of buildings, bridges, masterplans, furniture and products are accompanied by insights through the writings of the architectural critic, Peter Buchanan. The end result is a portfolio that charts the output of a design studio over more than five decades – a timeline of creative endeavour. What is not revealed are the roots, the origins, values and inspirations – the creative process that generates design.

The present practice grew through several iterations out of Foster Associates. As its founder, with my late wife Wendy in 1967, any insights that I give to these issues is inevitably going to be personal, especially as I am the only actively remaining individual from that period. This is notwithstanding the fact that every image in this book has only been made possible by a team effort and the dedication of many talented individuals.

This is as true now – when the combined teams total more than a thousand – as it was at the outset when there were two principals and a handful of young students.

Youth is one of the many key themes that link the present to the past. The fledgling practice of Foster Associates, founded with my late wife Wendy in 1967, was in microcosm, a version of the present with its continuing emphasis on young talent from around the world; we now have a presence in twelve countries.

This global view was first informed by a design philosophy

rooted in two mainstreams that were emerging in the 1960s.

They could be summed up first as the application of systems thinking – since labelled as a holistic approach to design – and second by an environmental awareness – now seen as the roots of a green movement. In terms of performance, the two streams have come together in the quest to ‘do more with less’ – a mantra often repeated by Buckminster Fuller, whom I collaborated with over the last twelve years of his life.

The two themes of a systems approach and the pursuit of sustainable design go hand-in-hand. For example, in a holistic systems building, the architecture is inseparable from the infrastructure of which it is a part – the region or a city.

And likewise, in sustainable design, when considering the consumption of energy, buildings and infrastructure are equally interdependent.

Our early interest in formulating a systems approach was the outcome of a number of influences. They range from the writings of individuals such as Norbert Wiener to mobilising school buildings in Britain and the United States to experimental houses in California and eventually to the personal experience of designing a factory in Wiltshire.

In the wake of the Second World War, the desperate need to rebuild in Britain created the Hertfordshire school system – one of several early attempts to industrialise a building programme through prefabrication. This in turn influenced a California version called School Construction Systems Development (SCSD). An early prototype captured the 7

1967 1970

20

Reliance Controls, Swindon, England Fred Olsen Amenity Centre, London, England

1967 1970

20

Reliance Controls, Swindon, England Fred Olsen Amenity Centre, London, England

1973

Perspective drawing and environmental sketches; Fred Olsen Country Offices, Vestby, Norway

45

1973

Perspective drawing and environmental sketches; Fred Olsen Country Offices, Vestby, Norway

45

1989

138

Animated section; City of London Heliport, London, England Presentation drawing; Millennium Tower, Tokyo, Japan

1989

138

Animated section; City of London Heliport, London, England Presentation drawing; Millennium Tower, Tokyo, Japan

2011

376

2011

McLaren Production Centre, Woking, England

BMCE Branches, Morocco

377

2011

376

2011

McLaren Production Centre, Woking, England

BMCE Branches, Morocco

377

Foster + Partners Portfolio 1967 – 1976 Reliance Controls Fred Olsen Amenity Centre Fred Olsen Passenger Terminal Air-supported Office, Computer Technology Computer Technology IBM Pilot Head Office Fitzroy Street Studio Special Care Unit Bean Hill Housing Modern Art Glass SAPA Factory Willis Faber & Dumas Orange Hand Shops Fred Olsen Travel Agency Palmerston Special School High-density Housing Reliance Controls north extension Newport School, Gwent Samuel Beckett Theatre Climatroffice Fred Olsen Country Offices Son Recreation Centre Fred Olsen Oslo Offices Gomera Regional Planning Study 1977 – 1986 Joseph Shop Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts UK Distribution and Installation Support Centres, IBM Technical Park Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Annexe Great Portland Street Studio Renault Distribution Centre Katharine Hamnett London Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters Nomos Table and Desking System, Tecno St Helier Harbour masterplan, Whitney Museum Development Open House London Gliding Club International Energy Expo Granada Entertainment Centre Hammersmith Centre Foster Residence Billingsgate Market Development Humana Headquarters Salle de Spectacles BBC Radio Office National Indoor Athletics Stadium Televisa Headquarters 1987 – 1996 Esprit London Stockley Park Offices Riverside Apartments and Studio ITN Headquarters Sackler Galleries, Royal Academy of Arts Crescent Wing, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts JCDecaux Street Furniture London Stansted Airport Century Tower Torre de Collserola Kawana House Cranfield University Library Cacharel Shop Clore Lecture Theatre, Huxley Building, Imperial College Lycée Albert Camus House in Corsica Business Promotion Centre, Microelectronic Park Telematic Centre Duisburg, Microelectronic Park Obunsha Corporation Headquarters, Yarai-Cho Addition to the Mendelsohn and Chermayeff House Marine Simulator Centre Carré d’Art Addition to the Joslyn Art Museum Maack Schreiter House Electric Vehicle Tabula system, Tecno Steiger Schwanentor Izanami Motor Yacht Wind Turbine Bilbao Metro School of Physiotherapy Phase one, Bellsdyke Hospital Microelectronic Centre, Microelectronic Park Faculty of Law Sea Life Centres NF Novantotto door handle, Valli & Valli Duisburg Inner Harbour masterplan Hafenforum Electricité de France Regional Headquarters Agiplan St Pancras International Station masterplan King’s Cross International Terminal Paternoster Square Holiday Inn Hotel City of London Heliport Millennium Tower The Sackler Gallery, The Museum of Israel Hôtel du Département King’s Cross masterplan Congress Hall Place Montcalm International Medieval Centre Albertopolis’ masterplan Port Maillot masterplan Europôle Méditerranéen de l’Arbois masterplan Centre de la Mémoire Telecommunications Facility Cardiff Bay Opera House Millennium Tower 1997 – 2006 SEC Armadillo Commerzbank Headquarters Bath Road Offices Phase two, Bellsdyke Hospita Kite! Chair, Tecno Repsol service stations Red Dot Design Museum American Air Museum, Duxford Library Storage, Acerbis 90083 Tray, Alessi Inner Harbour Canals Ascot Offices Thames Valley Park Aberdeen Business School Aspire National Training Centre Sir Alexander Fleming Building Valencia Congress Centre North Greenwich Interchange Kowloon Canton Railway Station and Terminal Hong Kong International Airport Ground Transportation Centre HACTL Superterminal Canary Wharf Jubilee Line Station Reichstag, New German Parliament Airline seating system, Vitra ENEL Power Pylons 100 Longwater Avenue Multimedia Centre Foster taps range, Rubinetterie Stella Furniture System, Thonet Al Faisaliah Centre Citibank Headquarters JCDecaux Headquarters 50 Finsbury Square Sitooterie, Belsay Hall Electronic Arts European Headquarters The Oaks Belgrave Place World Port Centre 33 Holborn Newbury Racecourse Millennium Bridge Foster Series, Helit Nomos Table System (redesign), Tecno 100 Wood Street Center for Clinical Science Research Great Glass House Great Court at the British Museum Expo Station Rennes Viaduct Arag Headquarters Musée de Préhistoire des Gorges du Verdon Duisburg Housing Gerling Ring Shanghai Jiushi Corporation LSE Library Bathroom_Foster range, Duravit and Hoesch RA lighting system, Artemide Flowers Building HM Treasury Tower Place West City Hall Foster 500/505 range, Walter Knoll Focus Bollards, DZ Licht, Trilux Dark Shadow La Voile Templer Avenue HSBC UK Headquarters Faculty of Social Studies Scottish Gas Headquarters 1 and 2 More London James H. Clark Center Albion Affordable Housing Albion Riverside Metropolitan 1 London Wall Capital City Academy The Business Academy Bexley 10 Gresham Street, Trafalgar Square masterplan Trafalgar Square masterplan World Trade Center San Marino Nomos Desking System (redesign), Tecno Asprey Store Asprey Store, Bond Street Stornoway House Kamakura House Imperial College Business School 30 St Mary Axe, Sage Gateshead Chesa Futura Petronas University of Technology McLaren Technology Centre Faculty Building M1G FT door furniture, Trapex Place Kitchen, Dada Millau Viaduct Årsta Bridge Deutsche Bank Place National Police Memorial Bath range, Hoesch Forward office system, Steelcase Moor House Hutchison House Budenberg Haus Djanogly City Academy JCDecaux Tower Bishops Square, Spitalfields Silken Puerta Madrid Hotel Three Sixty table lamp, FontanaArte Supreme Court of Singapore Free University Alec Reed Academy Dresden Central Station Foster 503 sofa, Walter Knoll Still sofa, Molteni&C Post Haus Restaurant Ilium Lights (Pendant and Table), Nemo London Academy 3 More London 20-06 range, Emeco RF1 stacking chair, Randers Palace of Peace and Reconciliation Hearst Tower Radial Lights, iGuzzini SoftCell, Kvadrat Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building 4 More London Leedon Park House Prado Museum Extension Schlossplatz Lüdenscheid masterplan Hyatt Tower New York Times Tower World Trade Center Milan Fair masterplan Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center Frankfurt Airport Clarence Hotel Russia Tower Zaryadye Projecwt New Holland Island Getafe Aviation Museum Madrid City of Justice Chicago Tower 2007 – 2017 Foster 550 pendant light, Louis Poulsen Wembley Stadium Folkestone Academy The Murezzan Lumière Apartments The Willis Building Spinningfields Thomas Deacon Academy Terminal 3, Heathrow Virgin Check-In John Spoor Broome Library Zénith de St Etienne Smithsonian Institution Courtyard Elephant House The Dolder Grand Corby Business Academy Ivorypress Beijing Capital International Airport Boulogne Billancourt Langley Academy EY Headquarters Chesham Place Foster 510 bench, Walter Knoll Circle Bath Hospital Residence Bel-Air Panthalassa Projects 1, 4, 7 and 8, Quartermile masterplan PwC, 7 More London Capella Singapore Winspear Opera House Torre Cepsa The YachtPlus Fleet Stanley Crescent Arc tables, Molteni&C Khan Shatyr Entertainment Centre UAE Pavilion Shanghai Expo Fortaleza Hall and the Commons, S.C. Johnson campus, Racine, Wisconsin Faustino Winery, Gumiel de Izán Dash LED task light, Steelcase NetJets business aircraft Solus Chair, © Cathay Pacific Thea auditorium chair, Poltrona Frau Annette Strauss Square, Dallas, Texas Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts The Walbrook The Souk, World Trade Center Abu Dhabi, Sperone Westwater Masdar Institute Masdar Institute FP Wall LED, Louis Poulsen Flo desk light, Lumina McLaren Production Centre, Woking BMCE Branches The Troika Index Tower Jameson House, Vancouver Foster 520 and 521 armchairs, Walter Knoll University of Turin, Campus Luigi Einaudi Spaceport America, New Mexico Modular Skylights, Velux The Villas Providence Peak Villa Californie, St-Jean-Cap-Ferat © Cathay Pacific Lounges International Airport, Chek Lap Kok First Class Cabin, © Cathay Pacific CityCenterDC Faena Aleph, Buenos Aires ME London hotel Queen Alia International Airport, Amman Lenbachhaus, Munich Marseille Vieux Port Marseille Vieux Port The Mall, World Trade Center Abu Dhabi Courtyard Building, Masdar Institute The SSE Hydro, SEC Glasgow Edward P. Evans Hall, Yale School of Management, New Haven, Connecticut The Bow, Calgary Teso table, Molteni&C Nazarbayev Centre Apple Zorlu Center Anfa Place Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Alen Yacht 68 Yacht Club de Monaco La Garennes-Colombes Apple Caffè Macs Alves Winterisation of Tents for the Red Cross Imperial War Museum Elements Office range, Unifor Burj Mohammed bin Rashid and The Offices, World Trade Center Abu Dhabi Mriya Resort Faena House Crossrail Place Canary Wharf Buenos Aires Ciudad Casa de Gobierno Porcelanosa Manhattan Flagship Store La Porte Romaine Apple Mall of the Emirates Apple La Toison d’Or DOT pendant light, Lumina Château Margaux Apple Watch launches Apple Canton Road UAE Pavilion Milan Expo 50 United Nations Plaza Apple West Lake Apple MixC Plinth for ‘Martyrs’ installation Orsa pendant light, Artemide Xiao Jing Wan Hotel Maggie’s Manchester Foster 525 dining chair, Walter Knoll Tono bathroom range, Porcelanosa Copenhagen Towers South Beach Ilham Tower Citic Bank Hadrian and Hadriana stone tables, Citco Hankook Technodome Residential Towers, Al Reem Island 551 West 21st Street University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital Apple Parc Central Xiao Jing Wan Club House Apple Riverside 66 R/GA Saqqara Residences EVA table light, Lumina Foster 512 upholstered bench, Walter Knoll Apple Nanjing IST Xiao Jing Wan University Apple Regent Street Apple Union Square Project 10 and 12, Quartermile development Bund Finance Centre Apple Downtown Brooklyn Bloomberg Ocean Terminal extension Apple Orchard Road Apple Dubai Mall The Murray Apple Park Visitor Center, Apple Park Steve Jobs Theater, Apple Park Apple Tianyi Square, Ningbo Toronto York Station Principal Place Apple Tantau AQWA Corporate 3Beirut Kulm Eispavillion Apple Michigan Avenue Ashburnham Primary School Playground Old Spitalfields Market Ring Building, Apple Park Pushkin Museum Extension Camp Nou Eurogate Dharavi masterplan New York Public Library Shanghai Tower Red to Dead masterplan MoMA San Francisco School, Sierra Leone West Kowloon Cultural District Carlos Acosta Arts Centre Lunar Habitation Bernabeu Nanjing Xinjiekou Suning Square Metropolitan Museum of Art Teva Campus National Holocaust Memorial Al Wasl Plaza Oasis Arcelor Mittal Headquarters