Dan Nelson, AIA
Dan was raised in Everett, Washington and received a degree in Philosophy from Pacific Lutheran University. He went on to pursue an Architecture Degree from Boston Architectural College and his Masters at Columbia University in New York. He joined Designs Northwest Architects in 1990 and is now the firm's Principal Architect. Dan’s design philosophy emphasizes the importance of creating a cohesive design that considers the clients’ needs and the site’s components. In addition to his creativity and functionality of design in residential, ecclesiastical, municipal and commercial projects, Dan is widely recognized for his ability to develop a good rapport with clients and the public. His public involvement programs focus on keeping the community involved and informed of a project’s progress as it advances through programming, design and construction.
Dan’s residential work has been published in international, national and regional publications including the Wall Street Journal, Seattle Times, Grey Magazine, Northwest Home, and Sunset. His innovative work is often featured on several popular architectural web sites including: Houzz, Dwell, Contemporist, Architizer, and Freshome.
One of Dan's main design focuses is in the field of sustainability and resilient design for custom residential projects. In October 2017, Dan was honored to speak at the RE/MAX Collection Luxury Forum at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle. His presentation on Luxury Residential Design for Extreme Environmental Conditions highlighted five homes designed by Designs Northwest Architects that overcame challenging locations while maintaining an innovative design.
Under Dan's design leadership, Designs Northwest Architects has received 24 awards for design excellence from the Northwest Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. His professional affiliations include the American Institute of Architects (AIA).