Foster + Partners has always been guided by a belief that the quality of our surroundings has a direct influence on the quality of our lives, whether that is in the workplace, at home or in the public realm. Allied to that is an acknowledgement that architecture is generated by the needs of people - both material and spiritual - and a concern for the physical context and the culture and climate of place. Equally, excellence of design and its successful execution are central to our approach. We believe the best architecture comes from a synthesis of all the elements that separately comprise and inform the character of a building: the structure that holds it up; the services that allow it to function; its ecology; the quality of natural light; the symbolism of the form; the relationship of the building to the skyline or the streetscape; the way you move through or around it; and last but not least its ability to lift the spirits. This holistic approach is augmented by a strong commitment to the clients we serve, and also to the public domain and the many users involved. A high degree of personal service, coupled with respect for the precious resources of cost and time, therefore characterises our client relationships. The scale, diversity and global reach of our new projects were unimaginable 40 years ago, yet many of the issues that excited us in the early days continue to inform what we do today. We work in the spirit of enquiry, challenging preconceptions and testing conventions. The process of ‘reinvention’ distinguishes all of our work – past and present – and rests on a duty to design well and to design responsibly – whether that is at the scale of an airport or a door handle. The last decades have witnessed key shifts in public attitudes to ecology and energy consumption. We have always anticipated these trends, pioneering design solutions that use totally renewable sources of energy and offer dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions. Environmental awareness is an integral part of the practice’s culture as it evolves to meet the challenges of the next forty years.

Michael Schmidt has come up with a winning formula for the code2design way of working: “Taking a 360-degree view on design projects”. The designer says of his strategy: “Our holistic 360-degree approach to design projects enables us to tap into the emotional value that motivates future decisions to purchase”. As a result of this, Michael Schmidt and his design studio are able to create products with personality, products that tell a story. “In the same way that we enjoy the company of interesting, fascinating people, we also prefer products with appeal and objects with charisma. This elusive quality makes objects desirable, it is vital to the success of a product and for building a brand”.