
Row New York
Harlem River
Groundbreaking expected: 2022
Row New York, a passionate non-profit rowing club with a mission to make the sport accessible to all, has announced plans for a new Foster + Partners designed boathouse and community learning centre that will enable the organisation to expand outreach and house all of its programmes under one roof. Located on a stretch of the Harlem River, the design of the boathouse – which is being undertaken pro-bono by Foster + Partners in association with Bade Stageberg Cox – has a large folding timber canopy that pays homage to the 20th century timber structures that dotted the riverbanks. Image: Rendering of Row New York Boathouse and community learning center. Designed by Foster + Partners. Courtesy: Row New York, copyright Foster + Partners

House of Wisdom
Sharjah
Completion: TBC
The House of Wisdom will be a new two-storey library designed to celebrate Sharjah as the 2019 UNESCO World Book Capital. Located on Sharjah International Airport Road, the cultural project ‘conceptualises the library as a social hub for learning, supported by innovation and technology,’ says Gerard Evenden, head of studio at Foster + Partners. Its curved shell will be created from rolled steel plates cut by computer-guided lasers. Four core clusters feature large sculptural staircases, a series of pod spaces, exhibition areas, a prayer room and women-only spaces. Gerry Judah’s art work The Scroll will be installed within the panoramic gardens that surround the building. Image © Foster + Partners

Goldsun HQ
Taipei
Scheduled completion: TBC
Foster + Partners will make its mark on the Nangan urban regeneration project with new headquarters for the Goldsun Group. By replacing the existing Goldsun factory, the new headquarters building will perpetuate the regeneration project’s drive to introduce a mixed-use typology to the area. Office, retail and residential facilities will orbit a central courtyard that will act as a social hub. Image © Foster + Partners

Goldsun HQ
Taipei
Scheduled completion: TBC
The HQ will include skygardens on various levels across the complex, featuring photovoltaic panels and further sustainable features. Further below, six glazed ‘floating volumes’ support the building blocks, combining both structure and service. ‘It has been a wonderful challenge working with our client to transform this existing industrial site into a unique contemporary urban complex,’ says Grant Booker, head of studio at Foster + Partners. ‘We hope that it will be a vibrant new social focus that will bring life to the area and form the centrepiece of its regeneration.’ Image © Foster + Partners

Dajiang Innovation HQ
Shenzhen
Scheduled completion: TBC
World-leading robotics company DJI’s new headquarters in Shenzhen is stapled to be the company’s ‘heart of innovation’. Looking to counter the traditional office space setup, Foster + Partners has been challenged with the task of combining research and development spaces, offices and staff facilities with public areas to form an expanding creative community. Linked by a sky bridge, a pair of twin towers features large, column-free spaces with unique quadruple-height drone flight testing labs. A public exhibition space on the ground floor acknowledges DJI’s technological advancements in drone technology, and a new theatre provides the perfect space for product launches. Image: courtesy of Foster + Partners

Principal Tower
London
Scheduled completion: 2019
At Principal Place, a mixed-use development a stone’s throw from the City of London in the borough of Hackney, the landmark building, Principal Tower is nearing completion. Soaring 175 m in height with 50 storeys, it will be one of London’s tallest residential buildings. Comprised of three volumes, it’s reflective of the urban identity of the surrounding city plan. On the more residential side of Shoreditch, one tower appears lower, while on it’s City of London side, the height of the second tower is emphasised, while a slim elegant tower rises up between the two. The building is clad in fins that shade the apartments and almost every residence has its own curved balcony with bronze exterior detailing. The tower has a combined heat and power plant, roof-mounted photovoltaic panels and grey water harvesting, designed to reduce energy use. Image courtesy of Foster + Partners