Foster + Partners’ London campus is located on the south bank of the River Thames, between Battersea Bridge and Albert Bridge.
Home to the practice since 1990, the office has since expanded its presence in the neighbourhood, reinforcing its university campus-like character. The main studio is a generous 60-metre long, double-height space with a fully glazed façade directly overlooking the river. The campus also features several social areas – both indoor and outdoor – that offer informal spaces for discussions, meetings and talks, dining or just to have a cup of coffee.
The London campus includes a state-of-the-art Materials Research Centre, with over 25,000 samples to aid the material selection process; a library with over 50,000 books and journals; and its own Modelshop, which combines industry-leading technologies and traditional handcraft techniques to build architectural models.
The annual calendar is dotted with a range of social events, which are designed to bring colleagues together. Winter and summer parties are eagerly anticipated occasions, alongside smaller team social events, that offer opportunities to celebrate collective achievements. The practice has also established employee resource groups that champion causes that are important to its employees – such as the Disabilities Network, LGBT+ Network, Parents and Carers Network, Women’s Network, and Ethnicities Network – all providing support and advice to colleagues.
Every year, Foster + Partners opens the doors to its London studio as part of the Open House Festival, a celebration of the capital’s architecture. Hosted across several buildings on campus, employees run a series of interactive exhibitions and workshops for all ages. There is also the annual Graduate Show, which gives recent graduates the opportunity to present their university work to Norman Foster and other partners at the practice.
The London office engages in community outreach and takes part in a myriad of charity events, such as cleaning the foreshore of the River Thames in Battersea for Thames21, inviting school children into the studio for inspirational workshops, participating in Architecture in Schools programmes, joining charity park runs in Battersea Park, supporting Design and Technology teachers to teach architecture in schools and supporting Macmillan Coffee Morning. Foster + Partner also works on a wide range of pro bono projects, where our expertise can help change lives.
Employee’s wellbeing is central to the practice’s ethos. The London studio has numerous sports teams – and clubs – that meet regularly throughout the year, including football, softball, yoga, golf, and tennis. There are also a range of therapies offered on campus, subsidised catering at affordable prices, and secure bike parking and showers to encourage cycling to and from the office.
