Foreign Office Architects

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Foreign Office Architects, FOA, [1] was an 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 the couple'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]

Contents

History

The "Foreign" in the company's name referred to the principal's' heritage, with Zaera–Polo hailing from Spain and Moussavi from Iran. The company produced architectural 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 became known for combining technical innovation with design excellence. [6] FOA's designers were critically acclaimed, and won several awards. In their approach to architecture, the designers were hailed as new pragmatists, [7] [8] employing technical rigor in their focus on organic growth and the evolution of design ‘species’ hybridizing uses relating to both local and global conditions. [9] Their work addressed a variety of locations and typologies. [10]

The studio's first project, which is considered its landmark achievement, was the Yokohama Pier Port Terminal in Japan. [4] The Terminal has been described as a hybrid of non-Cartesian industrial infrastructure and versatile social functionality. [11] The commission was awarded after an international competition held in 1995; the terminal was completed in 2002.

Yokohama Pier microstation model - isometric rendering by Guy Westbrook Yokohama Pier guy westbrook.jpg
Yokohama Pier microstation model - isometric rendering by Guy Westbrook

Work

In the UK:

Years of buildYear completedNameTypeLocationNotes
2003–2007Not completedTrinity EC3 office complexOffice complex London, England
2008John LewisDepartment store and CineplexShires West Development, Leicester, England [12] [13]
2009Not completed Maggie’s Centre for cancer patients Newcastle upon Tyne, EnglandThis location was not completed by FOA due to budgetary issues and a change in site location. [14] [15]
2010 Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication Campus building Greenwich Peninsula, London, England [16]
West Quay retail centreMixed-use extension building Southampton, England
Sevenstone QuarterMixed-use complex Sheffield, England
Hadspen Garden Somerset, England
2008Not completedEuston StationRedevelopment of a railway stationLondon, EnglandWorked with Allies and Morrison, but this location was not completed. [17] [18]

In Spain: (where FOA maintained a local office branch)

Bamboo Building (Madrid, 2007) Edificio Bambu (Madrid) 01.jpg
Bamboo Building (Madrid, 2007)

Projects in other European locations:

Projects in Asia:

In the USA:

FOA won several prestigious competitions and commissions, including the BBC Music Box for the firm’s White City complex in 2003. 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

YearAward nameToByForNotes
2003Kanagawa Prize for Architecture in JapanForeign Office Architects
2004Enric Miralles Prize for ArchitectureForeign Office ArchitectsYokohama International Passenger Terminal [19]
2004 RIBA International Award Foreign Office Architects Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
2004Lion Award for TopographyForeign Office Architects9th Venice Architecture Biennale [20]
2005Charles Jencks Award for ArchitectureForeign Office Architects
2005RIBA International AwardForeign Office ArchitectsRoyal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
2006RIBA International AwardForeign Office ArchitectsRoyal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
2008 RIBA European Award Foreign Office ArchitectsRoyal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)Carabanchel Social Housing, Madrid, Spain
2008European Business Award for the EnvironmentForeign Office Architects
2008Urban Land Institute Award for ExcellenceForeign Office Architects
2009RIBA National AwardForeign Office ArchitectsRoyal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
2010 Civic Trust Award Foreign Office ArchitectsCivic Trust St Malachy's Church, Belfast restoration
2010International Council of Shopping Centres AwardForeign Office Architects
2011RIBA Award in the education and community categoryForeign Office ArchitectsRoyal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Ravensbourne campus [21]

Exhibitions

Further reading

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

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References

  1. (1993–2010)Foreign Office Architects at archINFORM
  2. FOA Office to Close as Partners Split
  3. FOA Architects Set Up Separately
  4. 1 2 "Foreign Office Architects - Yokohama International Port Terminal". arcspace.com. 28 October 2002. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  5. Archived 12 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "System Tools". Worldarchitecture.Org. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  7. Jane Rendell. Art and architecture, p. 68
  8. William S. Saunders (Ed.) The New Architectural Pragmatism: A Harvard Design Magazine Reader
  9. "Foreign Office Architects | icon 007 | November 2003 | ICON MAGAZINE ONLINE". Iconeye.com. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  10. "FOA" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
  11. 1 2 "Foreign Office Architects/Designing Modern Britain - Design Museum : - Design/Designer Information". Design Museum. 26 November 2006. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  12. "ShowCase: John Lewis Department Store and Cineplex". Archinect. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  13. "John Lewis Department Store and Cineplex". Architizer. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  14. Moore, Rowan (2010-05-01). "Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  15. Wainwright, Oliver (2013-05-17). "Newcastle's new Maggie's Cancer Care Centre is a model of low-key comfort". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2018-12-19. the previous design for the site, produced by Foreign Office Architects in 2009, which was conceived as a continuous landscape rising up out of the ground in the manner of a Teletubby house. The architects withdrew when the site was changed – and it is unlikely that their undulating vision could have been built for the £1.5m construction budget of this project.
  16. "Ravensbourne by Foreign Office Architects". Bustler. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  17. Vaughan, Richard. "FOA and Allies and Morrison to overhaul Euston station". Architects Journal. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  18. Glancey, Jonathan (2011-09-30). "Constructive criticism: the week in architecture". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2018-12-19. But don't hold your breath: big talk in 2008 of an ambitious new station masterplanned by Allies and Morrison, designed by Foreign Office Architects, developed by British Land and with the Euston Arch brought back to life, came to nothing.
  19. "AD Classics: Yokohama International Passenger Terminal / Foreign Office Architects (FOA)". ArchDaily. 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  20. "11th Annual Arthur Rosenblatt Memorial Lecture: Farshid Moussavi: Thoughts on New Architecture". Archpaper.com. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  21. "Ravensbourne by Foreign Office Architects". Archinect. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  22. "Institute of Contemporary Arts". Ica.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2010.