The story
Founded by Alejandro Zaera-Polo and Farshid Moussavi in 1992.1
The "Foreign" in the company's name referred to the principal's' heritage, with Zaera–Polo hailing from Spain and Moussavi from Iran. The company produced architectural projects in Japan, the United States, the Netherlands and Spain.
FOA emerged as one of the most significant architecture and urban design practices of its time, and became known for combining technical innovation with design excellence. FOA's designers were critically acclaimed, and won several awards. In their approach to architecture, the designers were hailed as new pragmatists, employing technical rigor in their focus on organic growth and the evolution of design ‘species’ hybridizing uses relating to both local and global conditions. Their work addressed a variety of locations and typologies.
The studio's first project, which is considered its landmark achievement, was the Yokohama Pier Port Terminal in Japan. The Terminal has been described as a hybrid of non-Cartesian industrial infrastructure and versatile social functionality. The commission was awarded after an international competition held in 1995; the terminal was completed in 2002.
From Wikipedia’s article on Foreign Office Architects, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3