5 minutes with Taba Rasti

Taba Rasti is Senior Partner and co-directs Foster + Partners’ office in Madrid. Taba joined the practice in 2005 and moved to Madrid in 2007, to set up the new office. With over 20 years’ experience, she has worked on a wide variety of projects at different scales and specialises in the regeneration of historic buildings to give them a sustainable future.

Projects include Ivorypress, an art space and bookshop conversion in Madrid; the extension and restoration of the Chateau Margaux Winery in Bordeaux; the Vatican Pavilion Chapel, an installation at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale; Ombú, a retrofit office project that was presented as a sustainable exemplar at COP 26; the restoration and extension of the Hall of Realms at the Prado Museum; and the restoration and extension of the Bilbao Fine Arts museum. She is currently working on projects in Switzerland, Portugal and the US, amongst others.

Taba tells us about her standout projects, recent sources of inspiration, and her ideal weekend in Madrid.

Earliest memory at Foster + Partners

I was struck by the incredible views of the river Thames, from inside the London office. The building is on the water’s edge – alongside Albert Bridge – which is lit up at night and acts as a wonderful backdrop to life in the studio.  

My eighteen-year career at Foster + Partners began in London. The first project I worked on was the Clarence Hotel on Wellington Quay in Dublin. I worked directly with Lord Foster on this project, which restored and extended a historic Georgian building. Two years later, I was asked to set up the practice’s Madrid office, alongside my colleague Pablo Urango.

A mentor

I am fortunate to count Lord Foster as a mentor. Early on in my career, he trusted me to be the project architect for Chateau Margaux, which was an important milestone in my development. The Madrid office works very closely with Lord Foster and Nigel Dancey, our Head of Studio in London.

I am continuously inspired by Lord Foster’s drive for change and creativity – and his ability to communicate ideas through drawing. His hard work, determination, and passion in everything he does is an inspiration to me.

A standout project

Château Margaux in Bordeaux, which consisted of a masterplan and restoration plan for the entire estate – and a new chai for white wine production. The chai was the first new building on the estate since the Château and the existing cellars were completed more than two hundred years ago.

This was such an interesting brief, which challenged us to creatively consolidate old and new. It was also one of the first times the practice integrated MEP and structure from the very beginning of a project. This holistic approach allowed us to generate a more innovative and sustainable outcome, which we were all extremely proud of.

We also recently completed Ombú, a retrofit office project that breathes life into a historic industrial building in Madrid. The project was presented at COP26 in Glasgow as a case study for the World Green Building Council. Its environmental impact is compatible with the original 2°C aim of the Paris Agreement.

A recent source of inspiration

I grew up surrounded by art and architecture, which has certainly had an impact on my work as an architect.

Right now, I'm obsessed with Mark Rothko, having recently visited his major retrospective in Paris.

Your favourite city to visit

London has an unparalleled energy.

I love the amount of green public space, which you don’t find in other cities.

Where do you call home?

Madrid is my home, I moved here when I was a child with my family.

I was born in Tehran and lived in London for a while when I joined the practice.

A hidden gem in your neighbourhood

Our intervention at the Hall of Realms has allowed me to see it with different eyes.

I invite everyone to visit the building when it reopens, to rediscover the spectacular spaces where masters such as Velázquez and Zurbarán worked on their most important paintings.

A city we should learn from

We can learn many things from Madrid. It is a dense, safe and vibrant city, which is also very laid back.

It has a great mixture of public spaces, restaurants and museums, which makes it fantastic to live in.

Your favourite building to visit

I have so many! Although I’ve visited it many times, the Pantheon in Rome still makes me emotional. The Farnsworth House by Mies in Chicago is also fantastic.

One thing you can’t live without

My cup of tea in the office.

If I don't have a cup of tea on my desk, it's because I'm making a new one!

Where will you be this weekend?

My ideal plan for the weekend is a walk around sunny Madrid.

Having breakfast in a cafe, visiting the Prado Museum masters, buying beautiful flowers, visiting my favourite bookshop and ending the day at a dinner with friends.