London‘s urban fabric continues to evolve with the recent unveiling of 50 Electric Boulevard’s interiors, designed by Foster + Partners for the Battersea Power Station development. This 18,580-square-meter workspace is curated with a philosophy centered on flexibility. 50 Electric Boulevard’s soft undulating form translates to adaptable floor plates, allowing tenants to configure their space to suit their specific needs. This future-proof design ensures the building can accommodate the ever-changing demands of the modern workplace of the UK.
foster + partners infuses the interiors with nature
Emphasis on natural light and ventilation is evident throughout Foster + Partners’ design for 50 Electric Boulevard at Battersea. Each floor boasts an open-air element — cantilevered terraces and openable windows — lending a connection with the external environment. Floor-to-ceiling windows and the aforementioned balconies contribute to a light-filled, breathable, and ultimately, healthy work environment. The architects‘ focus on employee well-being extends beyond just practical considerations. The glass-fronted entrance lobby on Electric Boulevard features touchdown workspaces alongside relaxed seating areas, creating an inviting and collaborative atmosphere. This theme continues with the communal pavilion above, offering a space bathed in natural light, complete with a coffee bar and bleacher seating ideal for larger gatherings.
50 electric boulevard: a dialogue with battersea legacy
50 Electric Boulevard’s interior spaces by Foster + Partners exude a sense of warmth with the use of natural materials and pops of color. Think wooden batten ceilings, copper accents, and splashes of red upholstery within communal areas. The integration of greenery throughout further enhances the focus on occupant well-being.
The design establishes a distinct conversation with its neighbor, the Battersea Roof Gardens. Both structures, creations of Foster + Partners, purposefully stand in contrast to the monumentality of the iconic Battersea Power Station. The Battersea Roof Gardens, a residential building, boasts a landscaped rooftop designed by James Corner Field Operations, featuring 23,000 plants and fifty-five trees.
With Apple opening its latest Foster + Partners-designed store in the newly renovated Battersea Power Station, our latest roundup spotlights 10 Apple Stores designed by the British architecture studio.
Apple has been working with Foster + Partners since 2014, when the technology company and architecture studio initiated its almost decade-long relationship to complete a retail location in Istanbul, Turkey.
Apple describes its first stores as looking “like nothing else”, but is now more focused on renovating and restoring buildings such as its Los Angeles store, Champs-Élysées store and Rome flagship.
“I think that the evolution of retail for Apple is really interesting – starting with very bold statement with stores that look like nothing else,” said Bill Bergeron Mirsky, a global retail design lead at Apple, at the opening of the brand’s Battersea Power Station store.
“And then over time, you move to the Apple Store being very ubiquitous. And now it’s come around to being a responsibility approach,” he continued. “As we see the rise of Apple in the world and the importance people place on the brand and the values that it represents.”
With Apple now having stores in 526 locations across the world Dezeen has selected 10 striking recent stores from its archive:
Battersea Power Station, UK, 2023
Apple’s most recently opened store is located within the newly renovated Battersea Power Station in London, which marks the technology company’s 40th UK store.
The store is set on the ground floor of the shopping centre within the power station’s 1930s Turbine Hall A. The interior was organised around four original brick columns and beneath steel roof supports that were left exposed.
Find out more about Battersea Powerstation Apple store ›
Mumbai, India, 2023
India’s first flagship Apple Store contains a wooden canopy made from 450,000 hand-crafted oak elements that form 1,000 triangular ceiling tiles.
The walls of the store were made from stone sourced from Rajasthan and have a fine grain that is meant to convey the texture of Georgette fabric. It was enclosed by two eight-metre-high glass walls that allow light to flood the double-height interior.
Find out more about Mumbai Apple store ›
Photo by Nigel Young
Brompton Road, UK, 2022
An arched timber ceiling with seven-metre tall interiors defines the Brompton Road Apple store in west London. The arched timber ceiling mirrors the profile and shape of the window bays located at the facade of the building.
The studio removed a mezzanine level from the shop interiors and incorporated six Castagna stone columns, four Ficus trees and a terrazzo floor made from castor oil resin, aggregate and recycled glass.
Find out more about Brompton Road Apple store ›
Photo by Nigel Young
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2022
Apple’s Abu Dhabi store on Al Maryah Island was built on top of a raised podium and surrounded by a stepped waterfall around all of its four sides.
The podium the building is set on is pyramid shaped and constructed from black granite stone. The store is accessed via two bridges that extend over the water feature from a waterfront promenade.
Find out more about Abu Dhabi Apple store ›
Photo by Nigel Young
Los Angeles, US, 2021
In Downtown Los Angeles, Foster + Partners worked with Apple to renovate a historic 1920s, baroque revival-style movie theatre that was designed by American architect S Charles Lee in 1927.
The sensitive renovation of the formerly abandoned theatre saw the studio restore its corner clock tower, terracotta facade, exterior canopy, and grand entry hall that is complete with bronze handrails and marble columns.
Find out more about Los Angeles Apple store ›
Photo is by Nigel Young
Istanbul, Turkey, 2021
Two large travertine walls flank the interior of Istanbul’s Bagdat Caddesi Apple store. Benefitting from a column-free interior encompasses two levels with a sunken double-height space at its rear.
The building is set back from the street and appears to be a single-storey structure as a result of its sunken lower level. The structure was topped with a large overhanging roof.
Find out more about Istanbul Apple store ›
Via Del Corso, Italy, 2021
Another restoration project saw Foster + Partners convert and restore a historic palazzo in Rome, which is located in the centre of the Italian city.
Palazzo Marignoli was constructed between 1873 and 1878 and served as a home for Italian politician Marquis Filippo Marignoli. Foster + Partners wanted to celebrate the building’s history by restoring and highlighting its grandeur and historic features. Hand-painted patterned ceilings and frescos were restored throughout.
Find out more about Rome Apple store ›
Singapore Apple, Singapore, 2020
Noted as Apple’s “most ambitious retail project”, its Marina Bay Sands store in Singapore is a spherical glass structure that is completely surrounded by water and accessed via a 45-metre-long underwater tunnel.
The store’s interior is an open-plan space that measures 30 metres wide beneath a self-supporting glass and steel dome, which is made from 114 pieces of glass with 10 steel vertical mullions that provide structural support.
Find out more about Singapore Apple store ›
Photo by Bear and Terry
Bangkok Apple, Thailand, 2020
Named Apple Central World, this Bangkok store is organised around a timber-clad column and a large overhanging roof that was designed to resemble the canopy of a tree.
The store has a 24.4-metre diameter with a timber column that is clad in 1,461 slats of European white oak at its centre. The column fans out at ceiling level and adjoins the roof and extends past the glass perimeter of the store, forming a three-metre cantilever over the glazing.
Find out more about Bangkok Apple store ›
Miami, US, 2019
An undulating white concrete roof, which draws on Miami’s art deco buildings, tops the Apple Aventura store that is located in Aventura Mall in the north of Miami.
The structure is a boxy, two-storey building with glass walls and indoor trees. The roof of the store is made up of seven, precast six-metre-wide white concrete arches to form a barrel-vaulted ceiling.
An exhibition dedicated to the work of British architect Norman Foster has opened at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, showcasing drawings and original models produced by the architect over the last six decades.
The exhibition, which according to the Norman Foster Foundation is the largest-ever retrospective display of Foster’s work, features around 130 of the architect’s projects including the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Headquarters, Hong Kong International Airport and Apple Park.
The exhibition was designed by Norman Foster
Designs that informed Foster’s work are also exhibited, including works by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, French painter Fernand Léger, Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi and Italian painter Umberto Boccioni, and even cars, which the architect is passionate about.
The exhibition, simply called Norman Foster, was designed by Foster with his architecture studio Foster + Partners and nonprofit organisation the Norman Foster Foundation.
On display are sketches, drawings and models of the architect’s buildings
Curated by Centre Pompidou deputy director Frédéric Migayrou, the exhibition aims to showcase examples of Foster’s innovation and technology, his approach to sustainability and his ideas for the future of the built environment.
“This exhibition traces the themes of sustainability and anticipating the future,” said Foster.
“Throughout the decades we have sought to challenge conventions, reinvent building types and demonstrate an architecture of light and lightness, inspired by nature, which can be about joy as well as being eco-friendly.”
Examples of Foster’s work are interspersed with cars that have inspired him
The 2,200-square-metre exhibition begins with a room dedicated to Foster’s sketches and drawings, a practice he uses to communicate ideas and log design inspiration.
“For me, design starts with a sketch, continuing as a tool of communication through the long process that follows in the studio, factories and finally onto the building site,” said Foster.
“In 1975 I started the habit of carrying an A4 notebook for sketching and writing – a selection of these are displayed in the central cabinets, surrounded by walls devoted to personal drawings.”
Visitors begin the exhibition in a room filled with Foster’s sketches
The exhibition continues in a large space with partition walls that separates it into seven themes: Nature and Urbanity, Skin and Bones, Vertical City, History and Tradition, Planning and Place, Networks and Mobilities, and Future Perspectives.
The Nature and Urbanity section explores Foster’s approach to preserving nature by building “dense urban clusters, with privacy ensured by design,” the studio said.
Referencing a critic’s comment that the external appearance of Foster’s projects could be categorised as having a smooth “skin” facade or expressing its skeletal structure, the Skin and Bones portion of the exhibition showcases projects that illustrate the relationship between structure, services and cladding.
In the Vertical City section, the studio showcases how it created “breathing” towers by designing open, stacked spaces.
The exhibition features around 130 Norman Foster projects
“We were the first to question the traditional tower, with its central core of mechanical plant, circulation and structure, and instead to create open, stacked spaces, flexible for change and with see-through views,” said Foster.
“Here, the ancillary services were grouped alongside the working or living spaces, which led to a further evolution with the first ever series of ‘breathing’ towers.”
It showcases projects spanning Foster’s six-decade-long career
“In the quest to reduce energy consumption and create a healthier and more desirable lifestyle, we showed that a system of natural ventilation, moving large volumes of fresh filtered air, could be part of a controlled internal climate,” the architect continued.
The History and Tradition section aims to provide insight into examples of historic and vernacular architecture that influenced Foster, while the Planning and Places portion explores masterplanning and placemaking in urban spaces.
The exhibition is on display at the Centre Pompidou in Paris
Towards the open exhibition space’s exit, the Networks and Mobility section displays examples of transport and infrastructure and leads to the final room, Future Perspectives, which exhibits concepts for future methods of travel and communication.
On display are details of autonomous self-driving systems and designs for habitats on Mars and the moon that were developed with NASA and the European Space Agency.
Foster recently spoke with Dezeen about his views on sustainability in architecture, in which he said “there are lots of dangerous myths”.
The photography is by Nigel Young from Foster + Partners.
The Norman Foster exhibition is on display at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France, from 10 May to 7 August 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features Foster + Partners’ designs for a high-speed rail line in California. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now.
Fosters + Partners and Arup have revealed designs for the first segment of the California high-speed railway.
Four train stations planned for a segment of the 500-mile line will be – according to the studio – part of the continent’s “first high-speed rail segment”.
Manuel Cervantes develops “assisted self-production” housing in Mexico
This week’s newsletter also included a DIY home designed by Manuel Cervantes Estudio, Kith and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation’s release of a New Balance sneaker and a new podcast series about designing for climate change by SketchUp and Dezeen.
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the ‘norman foster’ retrospective will span six decades
The largest retrospective spanning the entire oeuvre of Norman Foster’s work over the last six decades will open at the Centre Pompidou in Paris this coming May. Covering nearly 2,200 sqm, the exhibition reviews the different periods of the architect’s work, highlighting seminal projects, such as the headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (Hong Kong, 1979-1986), the Carré d’Art (Nîmes, 1984-1993), Hong Kong International Airport (1992-1998) and Apple Park (Cupertino, United States, 2009-2017). Running from May 10 to August 7, 2023, the retrospective is being designed by Norman Foster and executed in collaboration with Foster + Partners and the Norman Foster Foundation.
exploring the architect’s work through seven themes
The Norman Foster retrospective at Centre Pompidouexplores the architect’s work through the prism of seven themes: Nature and Urbanity; Skin and Bones; Vertical City; History and Tradition; Planning and Place; Networks and Mobility and Future. ‘This exhibition traces the themes of sustainability and anticipating the future,’ shares Foster.
‘The birth of the practice in the 1960’s coincided with the first signs of an awareness of the fragility of the planet. These were the green shoots of what would later be named The Green Movement. These principles may now be mainstream, but more than half a century ago, they were revolutionary and anticipated the reality of today. Throughout the decades, we have sought to challenge conventions, reinvent building types and demonstrate an architecture of light and lightness, inspired by nature, which can be about joy as well as being eco-friendly.‘
Drawings, sketches, original scale models, dioramas, and many videos will enable visitors to delve into 130 significant projects. Indeed, welcoming visitors at the entrance to the Norman Foster retrospective, a drawing gallery showcases items never seen before in France, consisting of drawings, sketchbooks, sketches, and photographs taken by the architect. Illustrating a resonance with Foster’s architecture, the display includes works by Fernand Léger, Constantin Brancusi, Umberto Boccioni, and Ai Weiwei, along with industrial creations, such as a glider and several classic automobiles, which have often served as sources of inspiration.
Lastly, a 264-page catalog accompanies the exhibition, depicting eighty of the architect’s most significant projects. This monograph features three portfolios showcasing Foster’s early sources of inspiration, projects conducted in collaboration with Richard Buckminster Fuller, and other drawings and sketches. This collective volume is published by Editions du Centre Pompidou under the direction of Frédéric Migayrou, curator of the retrospective.
Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Norman Foster has designed the Foster Retreat in Martha’s Vineyard as a holiday home for his friends and those of the Norman Foster Foundation, which features furniture designed by the architect for Karimoku.
Named the Foster Retreat, the mono-pitch roofed building in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, was built opposite Foster’s US home.
The building draws on traditional wood structures
The home was formed from a series of angled steel beams that are connected by timber beams with smooth timber louvres enclosing an outdoor patio space.
According to Foster, the holiday home’s shape was informed by North American barn structures, with large amounts of timber chosen to reference Martha’s Vineyard’s traditional wood-boarded structures and its sustainability credentials.
Pale wood was used inside Foster Retreat
“The retreat takes inspiration from the generous wooden barn structures of North America and combines that tradition of timber construction with a small amount of steel in the form of skinny portal frames which touch the ground lightly,” said Foster, who is the founder of UK studio Foster + Partners.
“Wood was the obvious choice not only for reasons of sustainability but also as a direct reference to the traditional buildings that characterise the island.”
The building has a visible grid
The site levels around Foster Retreat, which will be used as a private residence for friends of Foster’s family and of the Norman Foster Foundation, were contoured to hide the building from the roadside and situate it within the landscape.
The studio also added indigenous plants to the site, as well as a bank of solar panels that together with “a high level of insulation and shading” helps the building be more sustainable, according to Foster.
Norman Foster designed the NF Collection for Karimoku
Inside the building, the holiday home has white walls with pale wood panels and wooden floors.
To match the pared-back material palette of the house’s exterior and interior, Foster designed a wooden furniture collection named NF Collection together with Japanese furniture brand Karimoku.
The collection comprises a dining chair, two stools, a lounge chair, a sofa, and a dining table, all of which feature pale “skeletal” timber frames and padded upholstery.
“The wood-based furniture I designed for Karimoku is an extension of the philosophy behind the building,” Foster explained.
“lt has always seemed to me that there is a commonality between the American Shaker Movement and traditional Japanese furniture. Given my own admiration for the qualities of historic Japanese architecture, there are evident cultural links.”
The furniture has skeletal frames and white padding. Photo is by Chuck Choi
The collection was developed as Foster had trouble finding suitable furniture for the space.
“When we started to think about what type of furniture could best fit in the spaces created in the Foster Retreat, Martha’s Vineyard, we realised that there was no single specific collection in existence that could be used for the different uses of the building, so I decided to develop a bespoke family of furniture,” Foster explained.
“Timber was a natural choice to match the spirit of the building.”
Foster Retreat was designed as a private residence
Foster Retreat is Karimoku’s seventh case study project, which sees the studio work together with architects on bespoke furniture collections.
“I see the collaboration with NF as an important step for us as a brand – not only do we venture into a new area with the case at Martha’s Vineyard, but we also show how the brand can accomodate a more diverse furniture collection, showcasing the unique design languages of the individual studios, yet still maintaining a red thread throughout the collection in the use of materials, excellent craftsmanship and high quality,” Karimoku creative director Frederik Werner told Dezeen.
The collection marks Karimoku’s seventh case study. Photo is by Chuck Choi
The NF Collection will also be shown in an exhibition at Karimoku Commons in Tokyo, the brand’s retail and showroom space. Karimoku was one of a number of Japanese brands that showed at this year’s Salone del Mobile furniture fair as the focus on the European market grows.
One of the world’s best-known architects, Foster leads the UK’s largest studio Foster + Partners. The studio’s recent projects include 425 Park Avenue, which is the “first full-block office building” to be built on Park Avenue in over 50 years, and the tallest building in the EU, the Varso Tower in Warsaw.
The photography is by Marc Fairstein unless stated otherwise. All photography courtesy of the Norman Foster Foundation.
The Norman Foster x Karimoku exhibition is at Karimoku Commons from 21 October to 9 December. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
The United Nations has written a set of “principles for sustainable and inclusive urban design and architecture” for architects to sign up to called the San Marino Declaration, which architect Norman Foster is set to launch.
Set to be ratified in the republic of San Marino next month, the declaration outlines a set of standards that architects and other built environment professionals should adhere to.
Declaration is Hippocratic oath for architects
“Next month I’m going going to be launching a United Nations declaration, which is the equivalent of the oath that physicians in ancient Greece undertook to uphold ethical standards,” Foster + Partners founder Foster told Dezeen, referencing the Hippocratic oath.
“In a way, it’s a condensation of the Sustainable Development Goals, which were also developed by the United Nations.”
Written by the Bureau of the Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management, the San Marino Declaration will ask architects and other built environment professionals to agree to uphold a series of “principles for sustainable and inclusive urban design and architecture in support of sustainable, safe, healthy, socially inclusive, climate-neutral and circular homes, urban infrastructure and cities”.
Architects hold “key to a more sustainable future”
Signatories to the declaration would agree to design buildings and cities “in a way that limits the use of energy, uses only sustainable energy sources, reuses rainwater and limits the use of other natural resources”, as well as using recycled materials where possible.
The principles would also require architects to “respect the identity and cultural heritage of places and buildings”.
Originally focused on architects, Foster encouraged the writers to expand the reach to include all those involved in the built environment, who are described in the draft declaration as holding “the key to a more sustainable and inclusive urban future”.
“I’ve consciously encouraged the United Nations, who’ve grasped the idea that we should not just be inviting architects and engineers to sign up to this declaration,” said Foster.
“It should extend to city managers, politicians, developers, builders, everyone, everybody who’s involved, who is empowered to sign up to this declaration.”
Norman Foster (top) will present the Bloomberg HQ (above) at the launch of the declaration
He will also be showcasing the renovation of the Reichstag in Berlin “as a recycled building” and his firm’s Stirling Prize-winning Bloomberg HQ “as a new building”.
Foster has been criticised in the past for his stance on the sustainability of aviation projects. His studio, Foster + Partners, was one of the founding signaries of the Architects Declare manifesto alongside 16 other high-profile UK studios. However, it withdrew from the climate change action group, stating that aviation needs “the most sustainable buildings”.
The United Nations is increasingly focusing on the built environment as a key sector that is causing climate change, alongside more well-known culprits like transport and energy.
The UN’s 26th annual climate conference COP26 addressed carbon emissions from buildings for the first time last November during a dedicated half-day, while the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) dedicated two entire chapters to buildings and cities in its most recent report.
While this makes architects and other built environment professionals crucial actors in the fight against climate change, the UK’s champion for COP26 told Dezeen last year that they are “one of the least well-represented businesses” in the UN’s net-zero push so far.
Below are the UN’s principles for sustainable and inclusive urban design and architecture:
People-centrality, social responsibility and inclusivity: urban planning, design and architecture need to foster and support social responsibility and integrate diversity and equality through due consideration of the needs of individuals and households across all races, age groups, gender, cultures, abilities and income levels, including intergenerational planning.
Cultural identity, values and heritage: urban planning, design and architecture should respect the identity and cultural heritage of places and buildings as well as the cultural values and traditions of communities.
Resource efficiency and circularity: every city, urban infrastructure and building should be designed in a way that limits the use of energy, uses only sustainable energy sources, reuses rainwater and limits the use of other natural resources and reduces resource losses.
In addition, every city, urban infrastructure and building should, to the extent possible, by design: use recycled materials; reuse and requalify spaces; reduce the production of waste reuse water; and encourage food production through urban agriculture, orchards and food forests.
Safety and health: every city, urban infrastructure and building should be based on internationally recognised quality standards as well as safety standards for workers and citizens, including fire safety.
Homes should provide a comfortable, safe and healthy living space, while cities and urban spaces should be designed with the imperatives of ensuring the safety and health of citizens; providing safe and sustainable mobility systems, including rail, road, inland waterways as well as walking and meeting spaces, green areas and urban forests that are accessible to all. Port cities need to ensure that port facilities are up to international transport and safety standards.
Respect for nature and natural systems and processes: every city, urban infrastructure and building should be designed in a way that limits its impact on the ecosystem of surrounding spaces, including by respecting plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and natural habitats.
This implies conducting ex-ante environmental impact assessments, allowing spaces for biodiversity and using natural materials as well as low impact production assembling and dismantling processes.
Climate neutrality: cities, urban infrastructure and buildings should be designed and requalified to minimize the associated climate footprint, by adopting creative solutions that reduce pollution and energy use; phase out unsustainable mobility systems; use modern, energy-efficient, climate-neutral systems; and integrate green energy generation systems in city designs and buildings.
People-smartness: technology and smart information and communications technology solutions should be used to improve liveability, including the most socially disadvantaged, bolster transparency and curb corruption.
Resilience, durability, functionality and foresight: city and architectural design should support solutions that make homes, buildings and urban spaces resilient to natural disasters, especially those caused by climate change, including hurricanes, droughts and wildfires, flooding and high winds; and making buildings and infrastructures durable and flexible, incorporating spatial adaptability to accommodate new conditions and usages over time.
Affordability and accessibility: cities and homes need to be affordable and accessible to all citizens. Designers need to keep this factor in mind and design high-quality environments for meeting the needs of all citizens.
Inter-disciplinary cooperation and networking: cities and urban spaces should be designed to foster cohabitation, community engagement, solidarity and social cohesion taking into account the needs of citizens across all races, age groups, gender, cultures, abilities and income levels;
Engagement: consultation with and participation of the local communities is essential for any urban project, including small, medium and large-scale projects. Continuous engagement with various stakeholders, including longitudinal research, will foster trust, ensure responsiveness to the needs of all citizens, and consolidate shared ownership of the city’s future.
British architecture studio Foster + Partners has completed two skyscrapers for drone manufacturer DJI in Shenzhen called DJI Sky City, which are connected by an open-air suspension bridge over 100 meters above the ground.
DJI Sky City consists of a pair of 200-metre-high skyscrapers that house the headquarters and innovation centre of Shenzhen-based robotics company and drone specialists DJI.
DJI Sky City was designed by Foster + Partners
The two skyscrapers are connected by a 90-meter-long suspension bridge, which is located over halfway up the structure, 105 metres above the ground.
The bridge will be attached to each of the towers vertically slatted cores, which both support a series of steel truss-encased, glass volumes that were stacked and cantilevered on top of one another at varying heights.
It is comprised of two towers which are connected by a suspension bridge
The cantilevered blocks contain column-free office spaces that were made possible by the building’s external truss systems. Some of the column-free interior spaces contain four-storey high dedicated drone flight testing labs.
The ground floor houses the building’s public facilities, including a community healthcare centre, as well as its lobbies that each contain an indoor “zen” garden that extends from a rammed earth feature wall.
“Drone technology has changed the way we experience the world around us while pushing the boundaries of aerial possibilities,” said Foster + Partners.
“We have enjoyed using DJI products for more than a decade,” the studio added. “We are delighted to have partnered with DJI in creating their new headquarters in Shenzhen, which will be the company’s premier center of research and innovation.”
The bridge is 105 metres above the ground
According to the studio the floorplates were organised to maximise daylight in the interior spaces while its twin lift system maximises internal office floor area.
At the top of the buildings each of the cantilevered volumes has a rooftop gardens with views across Shenzhen as outdoor spaces for DJI employees.
The skyscrapers contain four-storey drone flight labs
Renders and a fly-through video of the building were first unveiled in 2018, detailing its vast drone and robotic testing facilities.
Earlier this year in Shenzhen, architecture firm SOM completed its headquarters for Shenzhen’s Rural Commercial Bank, which featured a steel lattice facade that resembles an exoskeleton.
Fosters + Partners has restored and converted the Palazzo Marignoli in Rome into an Apple Store, uncovering historic features and opening up a central courtyard.
Apple Via del Corso is the largest Apple Store in Europe and occupies the historic Palazzo Marignoli, near the Piazza Colonna, in the centre of Rome.
Top: the store is located in the Palazzo Marignoli. Above: a courtyard is at the centre of the building
The Apple Via del Corso building sits on a site that held a church and a convent in the 16th century.
The current Palazzo Marignoli building was constructed between 1873 and 1878 and served as a home for Marquis Filippo Marignoli. It also housed the Caffè Aragno, a famous gathering spot for artists.
Original paintings were restored and placed in the ceiling
Foster + Partners wanted to celebrate its history by highlighting its grandeur and restoring its historic features.
“The idea was to celebrate different aspects and various areas of the history of the building,” said Foster + Partners partner Luis Matania.
“You have this juxtaposition of all these various areas in the building’s history, through to now, the 21st century.”
Ettore Ballerini’s Dusk was placed between ceiling panelling
L-shaped in its plan, the building is organised around a large courtyard that the studio opened up to be used by the public and to greet visitors upon entry into the building.
Camphor trees placed across the courtyard informed by the 16th-century convent that previously existed on the site.
Wooden tables were placed within retail spaces
“The courtyard is no longer private, it becomes a democratic space that the community is invited to come through into and enjoy,” said Foster + Partners partner Stefan Behling.
“We reintroduced trees as a reference to the old convent and it allows the community to come and enjoy this beautiful space.”
Artworks by Afro Basaldella that were found in the building were restored
Artworks by Italian artist Afro Basaldella from the building’s art cafe days abstractly depict imagery and scenes of Italy were carefully restored and set into the walls.
Large early-1900s ceiling paintings by Fabio Cipolla and Ettore Ballerini have also restored and incorporated above the marble interiors between ceiling panelling.
“It has been a complicated building and we have discovered things along the way,” said Matania.
“It has been an evolving design process, that has amended and adapted as we found new things, new painting and new aspects of the architecture”
The grand staircase was fitted with local marble
White marble was used throughout the interior of Apple Via del Corso, covering the floors of each room and framing large windows that provide glimpses into adjoining rooms.
To the west of the courtyard, a grand staircase with vast mouldings and a former oculus on its ceiling was restored, structurally reinforced and fitted with locally sourced Carrara marble.
The firm recreated daylight within the grand stairwell by adding LED lighting to the oculus that changes with the time of day.
A long corridor links spaces in the store
On the first floor, a long corridor connects a forum space with a Genius Bar and three retail areas.
The forum-style space will be used for community events, occupying what used to be the Palazzo’s ballroom a central point of the first floor.
Apple Via del Corso’s forum-style space was furnished with pale wood and leather
In the Genius Bar, conservators restored a hand-painted geometrically patterned ceiling with decorative crown mouldings.
Wooden furniture and joinery were used throughout to bring warmth to the interior spaces.
An original hand-painted patterned ceiling covers the Genius Bar of Apple Via del Corso
Dark wood-framed doors and windows along the corridors and edge of the rooms open out onto Juliette balconies and a terrace that overlooks the courtyard below.
Camphor trees, olive trees and jasmine vines were placed across the terrace to reflect typical plant-filled Roman roof terraces.
Apple Via del Corso is one of many historic buildings the technology company has opened stores in, including the Foster + Partner designed Champs-Élysées store in Paris and the converted Washington DC library.
Foster + Partners unveils its adaptable new workspace at Battersea Power Station | image © Hufton + Crow
