Renowned Architect Foster and Partners Closing Two Offices

London-based architect Foster and Partners has warned staff of an undisclosed number of planned job cuts. With offices in Berlin and Istanbul closing, staff numbers will fall to the mid-2007 level of under 1,000, estimates Mouzhan Majidi, the firm’s chief executive. Having 80% international work cushioned the firm from local downturns. "However, a number of our international clients have fallen victim to the economic climate, and...some projects have been delayed or cancelled," he adds. Europe’s planned tallest building, the 600-m-tall Russia Tower in Moscow, is among Foster projects that will be halted.