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 office, with our specialisms, we've got the orchestra, but they are like instruments that play different notes, and you've got to make it into a symphony. They add to the normal role of what an architect has to pull together. Experience is crucial.

Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters

1986

Apple Westlake, Hangzhou

2015

Hearst Headquarters

2006

Cove, Poltrona Frau

2018

Lenbachhaus

2013

Kamakura House

2004

Gerling Ring

2001

ME London

2013

House in Japan

1992

Center for Clinical Science Research, Stanford University

2000

Nanshan Technology Finance City

2019

Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building

2006

Yacht Club de Monaco

2014

American Air Museum

1997

Buenos Aires Ciudad Casa de Gobierno

2015

Canary Wharf Underground Station

1999

Addition to Joslyn Art Museum

1994

National Bank of Kuwait

2020

Steve Jobs Theater

2017

ENEL Power Pylons

2000

Faena House

2015

Bilbao Metro

1995

Free University

2005

Masdar Institute

2015

McLaren Technology Centre

2004

Thames Hub

2011

The Corniche

2019

Marine Simulator Centre

1993

Duisburg Inner Harbour Masterplan

2003

The Troika

2011