January 2006 • Features
The Art of Dining Act Six: Epilogue
By Martin C. Pedersen
When asked how Nobu 57 influenced his firm’s subsequent work, David Rockwell says, “The inspirations that filter down from project to project are never quite as clear as they appear to others later.” This is no doubt especially true for the Rockwell Group, which is currently working on dozens of projects across a multitude of disciplines, including health-care facilities, hotels, restaurants (about 15 of them last year alone), film, theater, and branding initiatives. According to Rockwell, there are “guiding ideas” animating all of them: narrative, collaboration, craftsmanship, spectacle, emotional connection, and delight. Here are three major projects currently under way.
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The Art of Dining Act One: The Set
The first move in restaurant design is almost always a spatial one: the parameters of the box—the stage set, if you will—must be defined before visual themes begin to emerge.
The Art of Dining Act Two: The Theater
David Rockwell has been in love with the theater since he saw Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway when he was eight years old.
Behind the Curtains
In preparation for the opening of a new chain of boutique hotels, Starwood turns to the Rockwell Group to create a full-scale mock- up of that classic American icon: the roadside motel.
Five-Star Reception
Some of our favorite architects and interior designers take us on an evocative tour of their ultimate hotel spaces, places, and experiences.
JFK International Airport, New York
After a relatively mild battle with preservationists, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey awarded a contract to Gensler in 2004 to design the new JetBlue terminal behind Eero Saarinen’s TWA masterpiece at JFK. The Rockwell Group is designing the public spaces in the 625,000-square-foot building, which is scheduled for completion in 2008. “We have a long-standing interest in airports,” Rockwell says, “mainly because right now they’re devoid of celebration or any notion of flight. The Saarinen building is all about those things.” The firm hired choreographer Jerry Mitchell to coach them on issues of movement and path. “When you leave New York, you need to decompress, but when you arrive, you have to speed up,” Rockwell says, “So we’re creating different paths and experiences.”
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