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

UAE Pavilion Shanghai Expo 2010

2010

Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building

2006

Capella Resort

2009

Queen Alia International Airport

2012

James H. Clark Center, Stanford University

2003

China Merchants Bank

2026

Oceanwide Center

Yacht Club de Monaco

2014

Torre Cepsa

2009

Tono, Porcelanosa

2016

Apple Park Visitor Center

2017

Willis Building

1975

Hearst Headquarters

2006

Cove, Poltrona Frau

2018

House in Japan

1992

Marine Simulator Centre

1993

Masdar City

2014

Bilbao Metro

1995

The Murezzan

2007

Legacy of Bodegas Faustino Winery

2024

Duisburg masterplan

2007

Beijing Capital International Airport

2008

Hankook Technodome

2016

Canary Wharf Underground Station

1999

R/GA

2017

Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts

1978

Hotel Silken Puerta América

2005

Century Tower

1991

50 United Nations Plaza

2015

The Troika

2011