David Nelson

Senior Executive Partner, Head of Design

RCA (MA)

David Nelson is a Senior Executive Partner, Head of Design and a member of the Design Board, a position he has held since 2004. Throughout his long career with Foster + Partners, he has played a key role in shaping its creative and operational direction. He has been involved in some of the practice’s most recognisable buildings, from the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters to Apple Park in Cupertino, as well as high profile projects in China, Singapore and Korea. As a member of the Design Board, David has an overview of every project. Each one benefits from the collective knowledge and expertise of Foster + Partners’ architects and specialist teams. The Design Board is at the heart of the design process, guiding and supporting teams, questioning, maintaining quality and focusing the practice’s collective experience at all stages. His understanding of the studio’s evolution, his open, collaborative mindset and continued leadership role has made David a key figure in Foster + Partners’ evolution; he also brings a global perspective, gained from living in Hong Kong and travelling extensively to construction sites and projects across the world.

David Nelson

In this studio our Specialist Design Services enhance the well-established role of what an architectural team has to achieve. Combining evermore diverse skills into the development of projects enriches and adds great meaning to everything we do. Continual development of shared experience is crucial.

Carré d'Art

1992

Buenos Aires Ciudad Casa de Gobierno

2015

Izanami Motor Yacht

1995

Palace of Peace and Reconciliation

2006

Elephant House, Copenhagen Zoo

2008

American Air Museum

1997

Dot, Lumina

2016

Index Tower

2011

Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts

1978

50 United Nations Plaza

2015

Century Tower

1991

OVO Hydro

2013

The Troika

2011

Leedon Park House

2006

Jameson House

2011

Gerling Ring

2001

Repsol service stations

1998

UAE Pavilion Milan Expo 2015

2015

PwC, More London

2009

Nanshan Technology Finance City

2019

Kamakura House

2004

Bilbao Metro

1995

The Corniche

2019

Marine Simulator Centre

1993

Apple Park

2018

Red Dot Design Museum

1997

Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters

1986

EY Headquarters

2008

Free University

2005

Capella Resort

2009