A world-famous London-based architecture and design studio, founded by Norman Foster in 1967, behind buildings such as 30 St Mary Axe (the Gherkin) and the Millennium Bridge.
Foster + Partners describes itself as a global studio for sustainable architecture, urbanism, engineering and design. That means its people do far more than draw buildings. Architectural teams follow a project from the first sketch to the finished building, working alongside specialists in structural and environmental engineering, sustainability, urban and landscape design, industrial design, workplace and interior design, and technology and research. Its London projects include 30 St Mary Axe (the Gherkin, completed 2004), the Millennium Bridge, the glass roof of the Great Court at the British Museum, the rebuilt Wembley Stadium and Bloomberg's European headquarters in the City.
Norman Foster founded the studio in 1967, shortly after leaving his first practice, Team 4. It was first called Foster Associates and has changed its name several times, becoming Foster + Partners in 2006. In its own words it was founded on "a philosophy of innovation, sustainability and design", and it says it learns from the past while embracing future challenges, based on the belief that good design matters. The studio has won the RIBA Stirling Prize three times, for the Imperial War Museum's American Air Museum (1998), 30 St Mary Axe (2004) and Bloomberg London (2018).
The practice is headquartered in London, and Wikipedia also lists offices in New York, Hong Kong and Madrid. Wikipedia gives a headcount of about 2,500 in 2026, up from about 1,500 in 2021, which makes it one of the biggest architecture employers in the country. Its pages we could read did not list individual UK office addresses, so check the company website for the current London location. Battersea Power Station Phase 3 is among its schemes in progress.
On how it works, the studio says its partners are all shareholders and take responsibility for projects, which are shared across architectural studios. A Design Board reviews every project at each stage, a Management Board runs day-to-day operations and a Partnership Board sets the strategic direction. In 2003 the architectural staff were divided into six studios, each led by a partner. The studio emphasises collaboration across disciplines, arguing that responsible design needs contributions from many fields. These are the studio's own descriptions rather than something we have tested.
The roles inside a studio like this are wide. There are architects and architectural assistants, urban designers, landscape designers, interior and industrial designers, structural and environmental engineers, sustainability specialists, and technology and research staff who build the digital tools used on projects, plus finance, communications and people teams. If you enjoy art, maths, physics, geography or computing, and like seeing ideas turned into real places, this is a sector where they combine. The company's own website is the place to check current openings and entry routes.
Website: www.fosterandpartners.com
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