Future Positive | Norman Foster and Foster + Partners
Seoul Museum of Art, South Korea
25 April 2024 – 21 July 2024
‘Future Positive | Norman Foster and Foster + Partners’ introduces the work of renowned architect Norman Foster and his studio to Korean audiences for the first time. The exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of the architecture of Foster and Foster + Partners, the practice he founded in 1967.
Presented in collaboration between the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), the exhibition investigates the ground-breaking work of the practice through the interrelated and interdisciplinary themes of sustainability, culture, history, research and technology. Focusing on the importance of human experience in design, it shines a light on Foster + Partners’ unique process and integrated approach to architecture and responsible design.
Looking at projects led by Foster + Partners from the 1960s to the present, 'Future Positive’ pays particular attention to the practice’s significant contributions to public spaces for culture and the arts, including art galleries and museums.
Responsible design and sustainability have been a central theme of Foster + Partners’ work for more than five decades. Through a wide variety of projects, it has pioneered a holistic approach to issues of energy, community, history, water, waste and transport, which remain integral to the practice’s work. Its philosophy for the restoration of existing structures, for example, is aligned to the idea that buildings can be recast and revived through programmatic understanding, sensitive fabric interventions, and a focus on user experience and wellbeing. Featuring several cultural, civic and workplace projects, the exhibition examines the way existing buildings can be enhanced and thoughtfully extended to achieve the needs of art and people for this century and beyond, while saving damaging greenhouse gas emissions through retrofitting.
The practice designed two of the world’s first ecological office towers in Frankfurt and London, and most recently, Bloomberg’s new European Headquarters in London – the world’s most sustainable office building as designed according the BREEAM, and Apple Park in Cupertino – one of the world’s largest naturally ventilated buildings, powered by 100 per cent renewable energy. Most recently, the practice has completed its most sustainable projects to date for the Spanish infrastructure and energy company ACCIONA. The project is a case study for the World Green Building Council and environmental impact is compatible with the original 2°C aim of the Paris Agreement.
The exhibition is on display from 25 April to 21 July 2024.