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

Datong Art Museum

2021

ICÔNE

2023

Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters

1986

ME London

2013

Addition to Joslyn Art Museum

1994

50 United Nations Plaza

2015

Maggie’s Manchester

2016

Willis Building

1975

Masdar Institute

2015

House in Corsica

1993

Citic Bank Headquarters

2017

Apple Park Visitor Center

2017

World Trade Center San Marino

2004

Red Dot Design Museum

1997

Hankook Technoplex

2020

Fuel Station of the Future

2015

Plinth for ‘Martyrs’ installation

2015

EY Headquarters

2008

Supreme Court Singapore

2005

Lenbachhaus

2013

Petronas University of Technology

2004

DUO Central Park

2018

Steve Jobs Theater

2017

Edward P. Evans Hall, Yale School of Management

2014

Marine Simulator Centre

1993

Arcoris Mont' Kiara

2019

McLaren Technology Centre

2004

World Port Centre

2000

Queen Alia International Airport

2012

Microelectronic Centre

1996