Foster Structures Ltd

A quiet moment on site to capture the morning light falling through the Douglas fir roof structure of our extension on Hampstead Heath. The project involves the full refurbishment and extension of a large Victorian villa, due to complete this summer.

Like any reworking of an historic building, our City headquarters project came with some surprises. The property was built in the 17th century after the Great Fire and had all kinds of uses and tenants over the decades. Before our client bought it, there had been various alterations that had compartmentalised rooms, so much of our initial work involved stripping away these recent additions to maximise daylight and reveal the original structure. This turned out to be a fascinating process… For example, here you can see the original basement strong room with its heavy metal door, which we preserved (as a cupboard for mops, not treasure) and the former safe. During renovations, contractors also found this hidden brick-arched vault with access to an underground cold store, which is to be topped with glass. Architecture: @chrisdysonarchitects Contractor: @cordconstructionltd Structural engineer: @fosterstructures MEP engineer: @emtecnica Heritage consultant: @theheritagepractice Photography: @rachelferriman

View from the Pool Pavilion. This small building reactivates an historic landscape in the English countryside. Nestled within the walled garden, the lime plastered vaulted canopy sails above a minimal structure, framing views of the surrounding gardens, and the historic brick walls that trace through them. Photographs by @heikoprigge

International Women’s Week (2/6): Emma Smith’s ‘Supercompensation Cycle’ For our International Women’s Week series, we’re revisiting a selection of our past and present projects that foreground women who continue to inspire us as a studio. We continue this series with artist Emma Smith’s (@artistemmasmith ) UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 ‘Supercompensation Cycle’ project, which beautifully brought together sport, performance and public space across the tournament’s host cities. Working with Smith, vPPR collaborated on the creation of eleven colourful architectural structures designed to house holographic projections of local residents performing everyday warm-up and exercise movements. These gestures, stretching, preparing, repeating, echo the rhythms of training that underpin sport at every level, from grassroots participation to elite competition. With the guidance of the choreographer Lorena Randi and musician Yaya Bones (@bonestanjones ) , The project unfolds through multiple layers of performance: the holographic figures, live activations in each city, and the movements of visitors encountering the work in public space. The architecture itself also becomes performative: designed to be assembled, dismantled and reconfigured as the artwork travelled between locations, the structures act as both stage and backdrop. Together, these elements create a vivid framework for reflecting on the history of women’s football, and the collective effort, practice and persistence that continues to shape its future. Artist and Director: Emma Smith (@artistemmasmith ) Choreographer: Lorena Randi Musician: YaYa Bones (@bonestanjones ) Sound Engineer & Technical Consultant: Daniel Halford Artist Assistant: Abbie Doran Artist Assistant: Georgie Grace Assistant Choreographer: Amy Holly Producer: Aldo Rinaldi (@aldo_rinaldi72 ) Architects: vPPR Structural Engineers: Foster Engineering (@fosterstructures ) Fabricators: Stage One Installation: Jayhawk Photographs by Lewis Ronald @lewiser @WEURO2022 @ace_national @aceagrams @inspiredbyengland2022

Planning consent has recently been granted for a side extension and alterations to a semi detached house in Lewisham, opening up the ground floor with a large kitchen dining space onto the garden, and solar shading provided by a structural bamboo canopy. The house is proposed to be insulated externally with rendered woodfibre, with onsite renewables including PVs, ASHP, and whole house MVHR. Project lead @rkirknewstead With @fosterstructures #architecture #londonextensions #bamboo #houseextension #retrofit

▫️STAIRCASE▫️ ▫️Swipe across to see some more angles of this fantastic staircase taking shape at our Ealing project ➡️ ▫️With the basement structure nearing completion, work has begun on this incredible staircase that will join the basement to the rest of the property. When completed, this home will be full of high-end, luxury features with a focus on low carbon, high efficiency living. Drop us a follow for more updates as the project progresses! Always a pleasure working alongside @beasleydicksonarchitects and @fosterstructures as this project continues to take shape. ▫️To discuss an upcoming project with us, contact us on the ways below ⬇️! ☎ - 020 8968 8877 📨 - [email protected] 🌐 - . . . #property #newbuild #refurbishment #builder #architecturalbuilding #luxuryproperties #renovation #london #northlondon #ealing #awardwinning #construction #contractor #buildersofinstagram #fyp #buildingproject #principalcontractor #buildersnearme #chas #nhbc #highendbuilding #projectmanagement #newhomes #bespokestaircase #highendrenovations #familybusiness #luxuryproperties

Sustainability is integral to the conception of the Containers. Through material reuse, low-impact construction strategies, and an ambition to achieve an exemplary BREEAM rating, The Containers positions environmental responsibility alongside creative output. The architecture prioritises longevity, treating the containers not as temporary objects but as a durable framework for continued occupation and evolution. Photos: @henrywoide @ten87studios @robten87 @fosterstructures #sustainableworkplace #londonmusic #collaborativespaces

A reimagined Victorian terrace house full of light, joy and unexpected material flourishes. It is a reflection of a shared design vision but also the household’s own creativity and resourcefulness.  Our clients described the completed project as ‘A fun, practical house that is out of the ordinary, unexpected but warm and liveable.’ The structural strategy was to use minimum steelwork and to prioritise timber and/ or engineered timber where possible. The project uses just a single steel column within the ground floor extension and two steel columns, within the existing house, at the front. All beams are glulam timber. Existing materials were re-used where they could be (for instance demolished bricks were used to create new party walls) or expressed honestly. For the new side and rear extension we used easi-joists (a low cost and low-material joist) which are usually stuck between floor and ceiling finishes. These create bold shadows when the sun falls on them and visual interest when it doesn’t. Our clients demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness and creativity to make the project what it is: hustling and sourcing materials from unexpected places and even making joinery items themselves like the dining room bench. One of our favourite moments is the kitchen worktop samples re-used as a sink splashback. All photos by @clickclickjim #easi-house #easijoists #home #architecture #residentialarchitecture

The Containers introduces a cluster of 12 affordable, acoustically tuned recording studios. A resilient piece of cultural infrastructure that supports making, experimentation and the collective life of music in the city. Photos: @henrywoide @ten87studios @robten87 @fosterstructures #collaborativespaces #tottenham #londonmusic

The Intelligent Garden and Building pavilion at the Chelsea Flower Show showcases a intersection of landscape design, sustainable materials, and AI. Designed by @studioweave with landscape designer @tommasseyuk and furniture maker @sebastiancoxltd , the mycelium-clad structure demonstrates how Avanade’s technology can monitor the health of urban trees—mirroring the way mycelium networks communicate beneath forest floors. Constructed from locally felled ash and mycelium components grown in Kent, the prefabricated pavilion highlights low-carbon construction, circular material use, and nature-based innovation. Fully compostable, it offers an eco-friendly alternative to traditional building methods. Its fluted façade emphasises the unique qualities of the materials, particularly the naturally irregular texture of the mycelium surfaces. After winning a Gold Medal and the Best Construction Award, the pavilion will move to its permanent home in Manchester’s Mayfield Park, where it will continue to educate communities about the health of urban trees. Lead designers: Tom Massey and Je Ahn, Studio Weave
Pavilion: Studio Weave in collaboration with Sebastian Cox
Landscape contractor: @theoutdoorroom 
Engineer: @fosterstructures 
Client: @avanadeinc Photo Credits @alistergthorpe

Thanks @livingetcofficial for featuring both Supper Time and Burgundy Lanes for your Kitchen Hatch Comeback piece. ‘Blending function, flow, and conversation in one cleverly designed feature, the kitchen hatch might be that one addition you need in your remodel’ Let us know in the comments if you agree! Photos by @clickclickjim Link to full piece in our bio. #kitchenhatch #hatch #kitchendesign #kitchen #home #homeinspo #architecture #interiors #residentialarchitecture #howwouldyouliketolive

We are very grateful that Ray House has won the ‘Best Interior Design: Individual Home (£500K or less) at the @britishhomesawards Thank you. Photo by @clickclickjim #britishhomeawards #archmongers