Image source: Walter Knoll — Foster 500 Sofa
© Walter Knoll and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
Foster 500 Sofa
Foster 500 Sofa by Norman Foster, with leather surfaces above a rigid chrome frame.
2150 × 730 × 800 mm
Official product information
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Description
Overview
Walter Knoll lists the Foster 500 Sofa with "Design: Norman Foster." The maker calls the range contemporary and classic, generously sized, with loose seat and back cushions. Its stated hallmark is a rigid chrome frame with geometric leather surfaces suspended above it. Walter Knoll also names an armchair and occasional tables as other parts of the series.
Foster 500 and the Reichstag
Walter Knoll says its collaboration with architect Lord Norman Foster began with the redesign of the Berlin Reichstag. The manufacturer describes the Foster 500 armchairs and sofas that resulted as modern classics. Its press release likewise calls the rigid chrome framework and geometric leather surfaces the hallmarks of the Foster 500 armchair and sofa.
Specifications
Walter Knoll's official Revit-family data gives these dimensions for the sofa range:
- 500-20 two-seat sofa: W 150 × D 80 × H 73 cm
- 500-25 2.5-seat sofa: W 175 × D 80 × H 73 cm
- 500-30 three-seat sofa: W 215 × D 80 × H 73 cm
The same Revit records give a seat height of 43 cm and seat depth of 54 cm for the three sofa types.
Story
A Walter Knoll collaboration
Walter Knoll connects the Foster 500 programme with its work with Lord Norman Foster on the redesign of the Berlin Reichstag. The product page identifies the sofa as a Norman Foster design and places it alongside the Foster 500 Armchair and occasional tables. The press release for the armchair and sofa describes the collection's chrome framework and geometric leather surfaces as its hallmarks.
Places named by Walter Knoll
The manufacturer says people sit in Foster 500 armchairs and sofas in lounges, conference rooms and hotel rooms. On the product page, Foster 500 Sofa appears within Walter Knoll's Sofas & Benches category. The page credits Norman Foster and introduces the Foster 500 Armchair as another item in the Foster 500 programme.
More by Norman Foster

Airline
Norman Foster's 1998 beam-seating system for durable, reconfigurable waiting areas

Foster 502 Armchair
Leather armchair with quilted loose cushions and a decorative seam, on a steel base.

Foster 502 Sofa
Leather sofa by Norman Foster with quilted loose cushions, visible decorative seams and steel legs.

Foster 503 Sofa
Sofa by Norman Foster with a floating base, back and armrests, in sizes for two or three people.


