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Foster and Partners facts for kids

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Foster + Partners Group Limited
Foster and partners.svg
Practice information
Key architects
Founded 1967; 58 years ago (1967)
No. of employees 1,800
Significant works and honors
Buildings London City Hall
Great Court
Bloomberg London
Apple Fifth Avenue
Awards 1998, 2004, 2018 Stirling Prize

Foster + Partners is a famous architecture company from London, England. It was started in 1967 by a well-known architect named Norman Foster.

This company has designed many amazing buildings and structures all over the world. Some of their most famous works include the Gherkin in London, the updated Reichstag in Berlin, and the Millau Viaduct bridge in France.

Besides designing buildings, Foster + Partners also works on city planning, interior design, and even industrial design. They have over 1,400 people working for them, including architects, engineers, and designers. They have finished projects in more than 75 countries and have won over 620 awards for their excellent designs.

History of Foster + Partners

Foster and Partners London Office
The Foster + Partners office in London.

Norman Foster first started the company in 1967. Back then, it was called Foster Associates. Later, in 1992, the name changed to Sir Norman Foster and Partners Ltd.

In 1999, the name was shortened to Foster + Partners Ltd. This change showed that other important architects were also leading the company.

In 2007, a company called 3i invested in Foster + Partners. But in 2014, the 140 partners who worked there bought the company back. This meant they owned it completely again.

More recently, in 2021, a Canadian investment company called Hennick & Company bought Foster + Partners. They became the biggest owner, but Norman Foster still has a lot of control over the company.

Amazing Projects by Foster + Partners

Foster + Partners has created many different types of projects. Here are some of their most well-known designs, grouped by what they are:

City Planning (Masterplans)

These projects involve planning large areas or parts of cities.

  • More London, London, UK (1998–2000)
  • Trafalgar Square redevelopment, London, UK (1996–2003)
  • Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2007–) – This is a planned city designed to be very eco-friendly.
  • West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong (2009)

Airports and Transportation Hubs

Foster + Partners has designed many modern airports and transport stations.

Bridges

They have also designed impressive bridges.

  • Millau Viaduct, France (2004) – This is one of the tallest bridges in the world.
  • Millennium Bridge, London, UK (1998–2002) – A pedestrian bridge across the River Thames.

Government Buildings

These are buildings for government use.

  • Reichstag building redevelopment, Berlin, Germany (1999) – They added a famous glass dome to this historic building.
  • London City Hall, UK (2002) – The headquarters for London's government.
  • New Supreme Court Building, Singapore (2005)

Cultural Buildings

These include museums, art centers, and performance venues.

  • Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, UK (1978)
  • Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, Scotland (1997) – Also known as "The Armadillo" because of its shape.
  • Queen Elizabeth II Great Court redevelopment, British Museum, London, UK (2000) – They added a stunning glass roof to the museum's courtyard.
  • The Sage Gateshead, Gateshead, UK (1997–2004) – A famous music and arts center.
  • Winspear Opera House, Dallas, US (2003–2009)
  • Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center, Astana, Kazakhstan (2006–2010) – A giant tent-like structure.
  • OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland (2004–2013)

Higher Education Buildings

They have designed many buildings for universities and colleges.

  • Faculty of Law, Cambridge, UK (1995)
  • British Library of Political and Economic Science, London, UK (1993–2001)
  • James H. Clark Center, Stanford, California, US (1999–2003)
  • Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia (2004)
  • Free University of Berlin, Germany (2005)
  • Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Canada (2006)
  • Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2007–2015)

Sport Venues

  • Wembley Stadium reconstruction, London, UK (2007) – A famous football stadium.
  • Lusail Iconic Stadium, Qatar (2010) – Built for the FIFA World Cup.

Office Buildings

Foster + Partners is known for designing many modern office towers.

  • HSBC Tower, Hong Kong (1986)
  • Commerzbank Tower, Frankfurt, Germany (1997)
  • The Gherkin, London, UK (2004) – A very distinctive skyscraper.
  • Hearst Tower, New York City, US (2006)
  • Apple Park (corporate headquarters of Apple Inc.), Cupertino, California, US (2013–2017) – The famous "spaceship" campus.
  • Bloomberg London (European headquarters), London UK (2017)
  • Varso, Warsaw, Poland (2022) – The tallest building in Poland and the European Union.

Leisure and Entertainment

Mixed-Use Buildings

These buildings combine different uses, like offices, homes, and shops.

Residential Buildings

These are buildings mainly for people to live in.

  • The Murezzan, St Moritz, Switzerland (2003–2007)
  • Jameson House, Vancouver, Canada (2004–2011)
  • 100 East 53rd Street, New York City, US (2019)

Awards and Recognition

Foster + Partners has won many awards for their designs. Here are some of the most important ones:

  • 1998 RIBA Stirling Prize for the Imperial War Museum
  • 2000 Welsh National Eisteddfod Gold Medal for the Great Glasshouse
  • 2004 RIBA Stirling Prize for Swiss Re (The Gherkin)
  • 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture for University of Technology Petronas
  • 2007 RIBA International Award for Hearst Tower
  • 2008 LEAF Award for Beijing Airport Terminal 3
  • 2018 Stirling Prize for Bloomberg London, UK

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Foster and Partners para niños

  • List of architecture firms
  • List of architects
  • Spencer de Grey
  • Mouzhan Majidi
  • Richard Rogers
  • Roy Fleetwood
  • SkyCycle (proposed transport project)
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