Five years ago I visited the offices of Foster and Partners in London, this year’s winner of the Sterling Prize for “the building that has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year.” At the time, I was on a tour of several architectural and engineering offices in London. I was impressed by how all the firms I visited were finding ways to push the envelope, so to speak, with their use of engineering technology. But I was totally blown away by the incredible creative energy in the air at Foster and Partners.
Foster and Partners, if you aren’t familiar, is an international architecture and design practice led by Baron Norman Foster. (An honored man in his homeland, Baron Foster of Thames Bank seems to have a new title every time I write about him. First it was Sir, next it was Lord, now it is Baron. If I understand British peerage correctly, I think he’s reached the summit unless the Queen dumps her husband.) Recent projects for the firm include the new Hong Kong airport, (at the time the largest construction project in the world), a finalist project for the Freedom Tower project to replace the World Trade Center in New York City, the remodeled German Parliament building, the Reichstag, the new London City Hall, the Millennium Bridge over the Thames, the Great Court of the British Museum, and the project for which the firm won its second Sterling, the Swiss Re headquarters at 30 St. Mary’s Axe, London, a high-rise affectionately known to locals as “the Gherkin.”
Foster and Partners had a second building in the final six considered for the Sterling; the other was a “business academy”—what we would call a vocational high school in the US. In the old building, vandalism was the norm. When students started attending the new building, they voluntarily started wearing business attire and showed considerable respect for their new surroundings.
Foster and Partners’ office is a modern, two-story structure, half a football field in length. On each floor, an all-window wall frames the River Thames and the London skyline, creating an inspiring live-action mural visible from every chair. There are no cubicles and only a very few private offices. Rows of connected desks are free of dividers or other visual clutter. A 100-foot cappuccino bar lines the foyer and is in constant use as impromptu meeting space—food and beverages are banned in the main office area. Baron Foster’s desk sits in one corner on the main floor, testimony to the firm’s commitment to creative interaction among all staff. The management hierarchy is as flat as possible for a firm with over 400 employees.
The air is electric at Foster and Partners. I arrived late one winter afternoon, just after sunset. The combination of the magnificent skyline view and the immense, vibrant workspace makes for an awe-inspiring first impression. It reminded me of the city room at a large daily newspaper near deadline, another creative beehive.
The environment encourages creative interaction, and the results are certain. Foster and Partners is London’s most honored architectural firm. The list of awards and achievements listed at the firm’s Web site is long and varied. The company has long been a MicroStation user, and often takes the program in directions few other users do to create their works of art. Key Foster employees regularly visit Bentley headquarters to discuss their software needs. The firm also uses various 3D solid modeling products for initial design studies, and is exploring the use of direct-to-fabrication technology.