Foster and Partners


Foster and Partners is a British international architecture firm with its headquarters in London, England. It was founded in 1967 by British architect and designer Norman Foster. The firm has been involved in the design of major projects around the world, including the Gherkin in London, the Hearst Tower in New York City, the 1990s renovation of the Reichstag in Berlin, the Millau Viaduct in France and Hong Kong International Airport.
In addition to architectural design, the firm's practice encompasses engineering and industrial design. As of 2021, the firm had approximately 1,500 employees, located in offices in multiple cities, including New York City, Hong Kong, and Madrid. The firm has won the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the Stirling Prize. By 2024, Foster + Partner earned more than half a billion dollars in fees.

History

The firm was established by Norman Foster in 1967, shortly after leaving his first studio, Team 4. The firm was originally called Foster Associates before becoming Sir Norman Foster and Partners in 1992, then Foster & Partners in 1999, and finally Foster + Partners in 2006.
The firm was chosen by Robert Sainsbury to design the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, which was completed in 1978. Located at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, the 500 foot-long steel structure was designed to house the Sainsbury’s art collection, and was the firm’s first public building.
In 1979, Foster + Partners won an international competition to design the new HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong. When the building was completed, it was the most expensive building in the world.
The firm was chosen to renovate the Reichstag in Berlin after being selected in a design competition in 1992. The renovation was completed in 1999.
Foster + Partners was selected to be architect of a new skyscraper in London to be built on the site of the Baltic Exchange building, which had been heavily damaged by an IRA bomb in 1992. The building, known as 30 St Mary Axe or its nickname, “The Gherkin,” was completed in 2004 for Swiss Re.
In 2001, construction began on the Norman Foster-designed Millau Viaduct spanning the Tarn Gorge in southern France. The bridge was completed in 2004 and as of 2024 was the tallest bridge in the world.
Foster divided the architectural staff into six architectural studios in 2003 and appointed partners of the firm to lead each one.
In 2007, the private equity company 3i took a stake in the firm.
The firm was approached by Steve Jobs in 2009 to develop 75 acres in Cupertino, California into the new headquarters of Apple; Jobs consulted on the design until his death in 2011. The campus, known as Apple Park, cost $5 billion and opened in 2017.
The practice regained complete ownership in June 2014, when the 140 partners bought it back from 3i.
In October 2021, a stake in the firm was bought for an undisclosed sum by a Canadian private investor, Hennick & Company, which became the single largest shareholder of the firm. Foster retains a controlling interest.

Services

Foster + Partners is a multidisciplinary practice. The firm has six studios which provide a range of services related to architecture and design. The firm maintains an in-house engineering practice that includes structural and environmental engineering, and the Foster + Partners industrial design studio develops products at both commercial and standalone scale, including furniture and lighting.
The firm has led large-scale projects through its urban design and masterplanning studio including the master plan for the rebuilding of the Hatay Province in Turkey following the 2023 earthquakes that devastated the region.

Notable projects

Notable projects ordered by year of completion and type:

Masterplans