Civic Vision showcases visionary work by Foster + Partners
A rare glimpse inside one of the world’s most influential architecture studios, Foster + Partners’ first Australian exhibition, ‘Civic Vision’, showcases 35 groundbreaking projects – from London’s Gherkin to Sydney’s own Parkline Place.
Foster + Partners has been long been renowned for their visionary architecture, designing spaces with a focus on innovation, humanity and sustainability. Now, for the first time in Australia, the global studio is offering an intimate look inside its creative world. ‘Civic Vision’, running from October 27 to 21 December 2025 at Parkline Place in Sydney, brings together more than 35 models, drawings, videos and images showcasing the practice’s most influential projects.
Set within Foster + Partners’ newest Australian project above Gadigal Metro Station in Sydney’s CBD, the exhibition explores how architecture can shape collective, sustainable futures. “We are delighted to be putting on this first-of-its-kind exhibition in Sydney – a city we have been working in for more than 25 years,” says Gerard Evenden, head of studio. “This is a fantastic opportunity to reflect on our holistic approach to civic architecture, which has underpinned our work since the 1960s, and continues to evolve to meet the challenges of today.”
The exhibition is arranged around three core themes: Community + Culture, Living + Working and Planning + Mobility. These reveal the practice’s consistent pursuit of civic wellbeing and environmental performance, while also celebrating its ability to adapt and innovate across time and scale.
“Our projects in the city exemplify the civic and sustainable approach that the exhibition centres on.”
On display are international landmarks such as the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters, the Reichstag German Parliament in Berlin and London’s famous 30 St Mary Axe – better known as the Gherkin. More recent works include the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi, the House of Wisdom in Sharjah and the winning design for Queen Elizabeth II’s memorial in London, featuring commemorative gardens, two statues and a glass balustrade bridge inspired by the Diamond Fringe Tiara she wore on her wedding day.
Closer to home, ‘Civic Vision’ highlights the practice’s extensive Australian portfolio – from Deutsche Bank Place and Lumiere Apartments to Salesforce Tower at Sydney Place and the Gadigal and Barangaroo metro stations. Parkline Place itself is midtown Sydney’s first new commercial office tower in over a decade. “It is a great privilege to showcase the practice’s work in Parkline Place – a project that we have been working on for the past six years – and the new home for our Sydney studio,” says Muir Livingstone, partner at Foster + Partners. “Our projects in the city exemplify the civic and sustainable approach that the exhibition centres on.”
By exhibiting earlier works as well as contemporary projects, the show reveals how ideas first explored in the 1960s – light, openness, connection and adaptability – continue to inform the practice’s response to today’s urban and environmental challenges. ‘Civic Vision’ ultimately invites Sydney to see its own built environment as part of a shared global story of design, sustainability and civic imagination.
