Foster + Partners

Foster + Partners is one of the world’s leading architecture and design practices. It was founded in London in 1967 by Norman Foster, who received the Pritzker Prize in 1999. Over more than five decades the studio has grown into a global, multidisciplinary practice working across architecture, urbanism, engineering and industrial design. Sustainability sits at the heart of its approach, with every project shaped by a commitment to reducing environmental impact through intelligent design.

The practice is behind some of the most recognisable buildings of the modern era, including the HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong, the glass dome of the Reichstag in Berlin, 30 St Mary Axe (“the Gherkin”) and the Millennium Bridge in London, the Millau Viaduct in France and Apple Park in California. In-house, its industrial design team applies the same rigour to furniture, products and lighting. It works closely with manufacturers in a “design by making” process, where prototypes and production expertise shape the final form.

Foster + Partners’ collaboration with Artemide has produced several lighting families. Ixa, launched at Milan Design Week in 2022, draws on the kinetic sculptures of Alexander Calder. Its spherical head moves freely through 360 degrees and is balanced by counterweights on slender rods, across table, floor, wall and reading versions. Orsa is a pared-back pendant that conceals its light source to appear as a floating disc of light, and Takku is a rechargeable portable lamp named after the Japanese word for a tack.

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