The HSBC building was a huge step up in scale for Foster Associates, but the project ended up being "exactly like the model" that the studio made of the skyscraper, according to Foster. Related story ...

In this exclusive video interview filmed as part of our high-tech series, British architect Norman Foster explains how the headquarters he designed for HSBC in Hong Kong in the 1980s transformed ...

A thread connects Foster’s groundbreaking Hong Kong ... In the mid-1980s, his design for the HSBC ... Today, Foster continues to explore and experiment, building on the spirit ...

Foster made his name globally with Hong Kong's HSBC building, completed in 1985. The suspended steel structure features pairs of masts arranged in three bays. PHILIP FONG/AFP/AFP via Getty Images ...

But the HSBC building appears to hover effortlessly (perhaps because so much of the interior is atrium), while 270 Park’s dramatic feat requires conspicuous structural muscle.

One of the world’s foremost architects, Lord Norman Foster has dedicated decades to redefining the concept of tall buildings, from London to Hong Kong. Now, he’s set his sights on Qatar.

Foster made his name globally with Hong Kong's HSBC building, completed in 1985. The suspended steel structure features pairs of masts arranged in three bays. PHILIP FONG/AFP/AFP via Getty Images ...