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.

Project Experience

Tono, Porcelanosa

2016

Gabriela Hearst store furniture

2019

Bloomberg

2017

Soft Cells, Kvadrat Acoustics

2004

Old Spitalfields Market

2017

Capsule, Carpyen

2022

Center for Clinical Science Research, Stanford University

2000

Capella Resort

2009

Flo, Lumina

2012

Desk Z, UniFor

2023

Duisburg Inner Harbour Masterplan

2003

Plinth for ‘Martyrs’ installation

2015

Apple Westlake, Hangzhou

2015

DATUM Tableware, FÜRSTENBERG

2022

Index Tower

2011

PwC, More London

2009

Gerling Ring

2001

Arcoris Mont' Kiara

2019

Foster 520, Walter Knoll

2012

Budenberg Haus, Urban Splash

2005

Foster 620, Walter Knoll

2018

House in Japan

1992

Cathay Pacific Lounges, Hong Kong International Airport

2013

California State University Channel Islands

2008

Teso, Molteni&C

2013

Lenbachhaus

2013

EVE, Lumina

2019

Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters

1986

425 Park Avenue

2022

The Murezzan

2007