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

House in Corsica

1993

Zayed National Museum

2025

Bilbao Metro

1995

Dark Shadow, sailing yacht

2003

Hearst Headquarters

2006

Edward P. Evans Hall, Yale School of Management

2014

Apple Park Visitor Center

2017

Canary Wharf Underground Station

1999

Free University

2005

Plinth for ‘Martyrs’ installation

2015

Century Tower

1991

The Troika

2011

Tono, Porcelanosa

2016

Maggie’s Manchester

2016

Marine Simulator Centre

1993

Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts

1978

Duisburg Hafenforum

1996

Lumiere Apartments

2007

Petronas University of Technology

2004

Fuel Station of the Future

2015

Reichstag, New German Parliament

1999

Queen Alia International Airport

2012

McLaren Production Centre

2011

The Corniche

2019

Port Polska

2032

Turin University

2013

Wind Turbine

1995

Oceanwide Center

Carré d'Art

1992

World Trade Center Souk

2014