Get to know this year’s New York Innovator,

David Rockwell

David Rockwell, FAIA, is the founder and President of Rockwell Group, an interdisciplinary architecture and design firm based in New York with a satellite office in Madrid that emphasizes innovation and thought leadership in every project. Merging theater, performance and architecture to create extraordinary experiences and built environments across the globe, the firm’s work includes hospitality, luxury residential, airport terminals, cultural institutions, set design, products, exhibitions, and festivals.

Projects include Union Square Cafe (New York); Nobu restaurants and hotels worldwide; Warner Music Group (Los Angeles); W Hotels (New York, Nashville, Paris, Madrid, Suzhou, Singapore and Vieques); Moxy Hotels (Chelsea, Times Square and East Village); The Shed (Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect); 15 Hudson Yards (Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect and Rockwell Group, Lead Interior Architect); 111 Murray Street (New York); the Hayes Theater (New York); NeueHouse (New York and Hollywood); TED Theater (Vancouver); product collections for Knoll, Roche Bobois, Stellar Works, Rich Brilliant Willing, The Rug Company, and our second collection for Jim Thompson; and set designs for She Loves Me, Kiss Me Kate, Tootsie,the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, and The Shed’s inaugural commission, Soundtrack of America.

Honors and recognition include 2016 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Scenic Design for She Loves Me; the AIANY President’s Award; the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award; and the Presidential Design Award. Known for their commitment to non-profit and community organizations, David serves as the Chair Emeritus of the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) and as a board member of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Citymeals-on-Wheels, and New York Restoration Project.

David Rockwell IDAs Innovator