Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, Sejima and others have designed micro-houses, but this time they’re for birds

In London, coinciding with Frieze Week, Christie’s will host Architects for the Birds from October 8 to 14, 2025, a project conceived by Norman Foster and Marie Donnelly to benefit the Tessa Jowell Foundation. Ten of the most important architects of our time have responded to Foster’s invitation to take on an intimate and poetic challenge: designing a birdhouse as a symbol of shelter, care, and hope. Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, David Chipperfield, Grafton Architects, Sou Fujimoto, Lina Ghotmeh, Jacques Herzog, Frida Escobedo, Farshid Moussavi, and Kazuyo Sejima are the architects who have joined the initiative. The ten works, each unique and unrepeatable, will be exhibited at the King Street headquarters and later auctioned during a private dinner. Proceeds will support the Tessa Jowell Foundation’s programs to improve treatment and care for brain cancer patients within the UK’s National Health Service.

Each architect offered a personal interpretation: Jacques Herzog assembled recycled kitchen utensils, transforming them into an unexpected refuge; Norman Foster created a suspended structure with two food containers in sequence to attract different species; Renzo Piano admitted to observing the birds in his garden before designing a lantern-like structure that would work in any season. “Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on earth” commented Norman Foster, who served as guest editor of Domus in 2024. “There are good environmental reasons to encourage the design of facilities for birds, aside from the sheer pleasure of sharing the company of our feathered friends. This connection to nature is helpful for our physical and mental wellbeing. ” This project carries with it the idea of caring for the most fragile living beings and highlights the role of architecture as a tool capable of raising awareness and supporting important social causes.