Reforma de Norman Foster

[JVS]

Lord Foster prepares to sell his practice


By Dan Roberts and Sylvia Pfeifer, Sunday Telegraph

Last Updated: 1:04am GMT 22/01/2007







in http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/01/21/cnfost21.xml

[Dreamer]

Lord Foster prepares to sell his practice


By Dan Roberts and Sylvia Pfeifer, Sunday Telegraph

Last Updated: 1:04am GMT 22/01/2007


Lord Norman Foster has appointed bankers to examine the possible sale of his world-leading architectural practice.


Foster + Partners employs some 600 architects and designers and has been involved in high-profile projects ranging from the HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong to Swiss Re's "Gherkin" in London.
But like many professional services firms it is grappling with how to ensure an orderly handover of ownership and fresh capital for expansion.
Last week Foster told a small group of senior staff he was considering bringing in outside investors, but he is understood to be anxious to avoid giving the impression that he is leaving soon and has not made up his mind about whether to retain a stake in the business.
"He's looking at his options, some of which include a sale and some of which don't," said one person close to the company. "Some would leave him with control." Whatever happens, he is said to be planning to remain involved for some time.
Foster, who is 71, is believed to be advised by a specialist corporate finance boutique in London called Catalyst Investment.
One source said bankers were hoping the business would fetch between £300m and £500m, but City observers questioned whether there was appetite for a deal of this size.


A private equity investor who studied the business said the cyclical nature of the construction industry made it a risky proposition.
"Commercial property is right at the top of the cycle and anything with this much exposure to speculative office development is vulnerable to a global slowdown," he said.
Yet one of the drivers that prompted the review is believed to be the need for outside capital to help fund a massive expansion drive. The company is understood to be keen to have between 20 and 30 offices around the world but lacks the infrastructure and manpower to support so many.
The continued involvement of Foster is likely to be key to its valuation. His personal brand and reputation are said to command additional fees on some projects designed by Foster + Partners.
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In the last accounts filed at Companies House, for the year ended April 2005, the company revealed pre-tax profits of £2.5m on turnover of £44.5m. Reflecting the increasingly international mix of its business, during that year the company generated 12 per cent of its turnover from the US and 9 per cent from China. The bulk of the business, however, was still in the UK, which generated 43 per cent.
The company has also diversified into new sectors, notably hotels, which are emerging as an area of growth. The transport sector saw its share of turnover rise from 9 per cent to 17 per cent
Foster's work dominates the skylines of cities around the world – from the "Gherkin" in the City of London to the Reichstag in Berlin to the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank in Hong Kong. In London, his projects include City Hall and the Great Court of the British Museum. He is also in the process of designing the Prime Minister's new city academies.
The thrice-married -helicopter-flying multi-millionaire was knighted in 1990 and made a life peer in 1999. He has a new young family with his glamorous third wife, Dr Elena Ochoa. The Fosters live above the office in two vast penthouses on the Thames at Battersea.
Foster left school at 16 to work in the Manchester City Treasurer's office. After doing his National Service in the Royal Air Force, he studied architecture at Manchester University and in 1961 won a fellowship to Yale School of Architecture. He founded Foster + Partners in 1967. His first big project was the Willis Faber & Dumas building in Ipswich.
Both Foster + Partners and Catalyst declined to comment.

Link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/01/21/cnfost21.xml

[Dreamer]

:money: Se se confirmar a venda do negócio... :money: ...eu compro... :money: :nervos: ...tenho o dinheiro do monopólio guardado à uns anos à espera de uma coisa destas... :nervos:

[Vampir0]

Fazemos uma sociedade... hum? que dizem? ... Como se diz na gíria, fazemos uma "vaquinha" entre todos, somos quase 2.000 portanto já se deve fazer uma proposta interessante... ...ou não.

[3CPO]

Lord Foster studied architecture at Manchester University before winning a fellowship to Yale School of Architecture. Foster + Partners was founded in 1967. Landmark projects have included the Reichstag in Berlin, the Swiss Re building in the City of London and Beijing Airport.

Foster + Partners has won 420 awards. However some recent projects have been beset by controversy. The firm's plans for a 30-storey tower on New York's Upper East Side has divided the city. Foster has also designed one of the four new towers that will stand on the site of the World Trade Center.

London-based Foster + Partners has offices in Beijing, Dubai, Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur and employs 850 people.

"Our riverside Studio is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

:)

[JVS]

Se a sociedade tiver 2000 sócios. Cada sócio terá que pagar 250 mil libras. Ou seja 372 mil euros. Para a cada um poder comprar uma parte imaginemos um ano de salário minimo mais qualquer coisa: 5000 euros... teriamos que criar uma sociedade com 150 mil acções. Cada um compraria uma ou várias acções. Caso queiram ter uma sociedade com 1,5 milhão de acções cujo valor de cada seria de 500 euros. Que tal. Qual vai ser o nome desta sociedade. Sociedade Anónima Portuguesa de Investimentos de Arquitectura e Urbanismo. PIAU S.A.. Se conseguirmos colocar esta sociedade na bolsa de valores poderemos ter uma empresa com 750 milhões de euros disponiveis para investir. Em libras são 500 M de Libras. Resumindo e concluindo... quase impossivel. Pergunta número 1. Como garantir a posse da totalidade das acções? Criar um núcleo duro formado por arquitectos que garantissem a chefia do Atelier. Esse Núcleo duro tinha que ter obrigatoriamente 50% das acções (ajuda de um banco?)... bla bla bla bla...

[Vampir0]

Epá, eu acho que só pelo nome -> PIAU <- vale a pena tentar :)

[ricardo]

JVS queres tratar das minhas finanças? :)

[TiCo]

O JVS fica o relações publicas :)