Foster and Partners has denied that it is expanding the size of its practice, despite taking on extra office space next to its Battersea headquarters.

Norman Foster’s firm has acquired a substantial office building across from its premises at Riverside One. The building used to be used by fellow architect Aukett.

Foster and Partners has disposed of premises in Elcho Street and Parkgate Road behind the Albion Riverside development. It intends

to move 100 employees that work there into the space across Ransome’s Dock.

This comes as the practice denied speculation that it was about to expand. Sources close to the practice have suggested that the firm may have aspirations to grow to 1000 staff. It now has 630.

One insider said that Norman Foster is more enthusiastic about expansion than a couple of years ago when he considered going back to having a smaller design studio.

There are no firm plans to expand, but there is lesser resistance to it

Foster and Partners insider

The source said: “It will less be a case of there being firm plans to expand, as a greater or lesser resistance to it. At the moment there is lesser resistance.”

Foster and Partners chief executive Graham Phillips denied there were expansion plans.

He said: “We’ve taken a new building but we have no plans to grow any bigger.”