Foreign Office Architects

Foreign Office Architects, FOA,[1] was an internationally acclaimed architectural design studio headed by former husband and wife team Farshid Moussavi and Alejandro Zaera-Polo. The London-based studio, which was established in 1993, specialised in architectural design, master planning and interior design services for both public and private sector clients. Following the end of Moussavi and Zaera-Polo's marriage the winding up of the studio's activities was announced in December 2009.[2] The establishment of two new practices, FMA (Farshid Moussavi Architecture) and London/Barcelona based AZPA Limited followed in 2011.[3]

FOA's name was an allusion to the heritage of its principals with Zaera Polo hailing from Spain and Moussavi Iran. its office has projects in Japan, the United States, the Netherlands and Spain." [4]

FOA emerged as one of the most significant architecture and urban design practices of its time,[5] and become known for combining technical innovation with design excellence.[6] FOA has produced critically acclaimed and award winning projects. In their approach to architecture, FOA are new pragmatists,[7][8] bringing to bear great technical rigor in their focus on organic growth and the evolution of design ‘species’ hybridizing uses relating to both local and global conditions.[9] The work unfolds rigorously through a broad variety of locations and typologies.[10]

The studio's first project and that which it is still most famously associated with, the Yokohama Pier Port Terminal [4] in Japan, has been described as a hybrid of non-Cartesian industrial infrastructure and versatile social functionality.[11] was won as a result of an international competition held in 1995 and was completed in 2002.

Yokohama Pier microstation model - isometric rendering by Guy Westbrook

Work

The work of the practice has branched into a very broad range of typologies and geographical locations and client types, rigorously developed to suit the particular conditions and programmatic requirements.

Completed projects:

In the UK:

In the UK, projects under way include:

In Spain (where FOA has a local branch) completed projects include:

Bamboo Building (Madrid, 2007).

In Spain, projects under way include:

Completed projects in other European locations include:

Other European projects include:

Projects completed in Asia include:

In the USA FOA is developing:

In Asia FOA is currently building:

FOA has won several prestigious competitions and commissions, including the BBC Music Box for the firm’s White City complex in 2003, which was widely exhibited but the client has yet to commit to build it. The practice played a central creative role in the Masterplanning team for the London 2012 Olympics Park, site-wide infrastructure and accompanying long-term regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley (2002–2007) and was selected as part of the United Architects team to submit a design for the World Trade Center in New York in 2002, in the aftermath of 9/11.

Awards

Exhibitions

Further reading

The practice has been published in numerous monographs and catalogues globally:

References

  1. ↑ Foreign Office Architects at the archINFORM database.
  2. ↑ http://www.bdonline.co.uk/foreign-office-architects-to-close-as-partners-split/3154917.article
  3. ↑ http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/end-for-foreign-office-architects-as-founders-set-up-separately/8615677.article
  4. 1 2 "Foreign Office Architects - Yokohama International Port Terminal". arcspace.com. 2002-10-28. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  5. ↑ Archived December 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ "System Tools". Worldarchitecture.Org. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  7. ↑ Jane Rendell. Art and architecture p68
  8. ↑ William S. Saunders (Editor). The New Architectural Pragmatism: A Harvard Design Magazine Reader
  9. ↑ "Foreign Office Architects | icon 007 | November 2003 | ICON MAGAZINE ONLINE". Iconeye.com. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  10. ↑ http://www.haveiendom.no/filestore/PDF/04_ForeignOffice.pdf
  11. 1 2 "Foreign Office Architects / Designing Modern Britain - Design Museum : - Design/Designer Information". Design Museum. 2006-11-26. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  12. ↑ "Institute of Contemporary Arts : Homepage : Homepage". Ica.org.uk. Retrieved 2010-07-17.

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