Synopsis
Widely admired for his sophistication, creativity and exuberance, David Rockwell is one of the leading architects, interiors architects and set designers working today. For over 30 years, he has explored his desire to imagine new worlds, to tell stories and to engage with others. This interest is rooted in his sense of play and possibility--an endless curiosity that continually drives him to ask, "What if?" What if you could step inside a crystal goblet? What if your environment transformed with every step? What if a restaurant could vanish at a moment's notice? What if your ultimate escapist fantasy was real? What If…? presents a wide array of Rockwell's brilliant explorations of the rich intersection between architecture and theater. Through immersive imagery and behind-the-scenes details, Rockwell introduces readers to 35 projects, from initial driving idea through physical realization. Works include the famed Nobu Fifty Seven and the newcomer TAO Downtown in New York, the W Paris Opéra, the West Lobby at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas and the newly opened TED Theater in Vancouver; set designs for the Academy Awards, Kinky Boots and Hairspray; the Hall of Fragments at the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale and Jamie Oliver's traveling teaching kitchen, the Food Revolution truck. Engaging texts by Tony Award-winning playwright and screenplay writer John Guare, Tony Award-winning director and producer Jack O'Brien and Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Justin Davidson--written specially for this publication--and a conversation between Rockwell and acclaimed architect Elizabeth Diller round out this spectacular, celebratory volume.
David Rockwell (born 1956) is an American architect and designer. He is founder and president of Rockwell Group, an award-winning, cross-disciplinary architecture and design practice based in New York City, with satellite offices in Madrid and Shanghai, that has been named as one of Fast Company's most innovative design practices.
Review
The aptly titled book What if...? The Architecture and Design of David Rockwell succeeds at providing both a compelling overview and detailed insight into Rockwell’s career―and the impetus for it: a creativity sparked by curiosity and a limitless sense of possibility. (Mario R Mercado travelandleisure.com)
David Rockwell revels in the emotional side of architecture, in the idea that buildings and parks, restaurants and hotels, museums and theatres, exist to stimulate our imaginations and, in the end, to make us happy. In What If...?:The Architecture and Design of David Rockwell (Metropolis), he shows us how architecture-whether applied to a JetBlue terminal or a Nobu-is not so different from a stage set: it's the special effects that make it work. Rockwell-whose firm is celebrating its 30th anniversary-is so good that he makes you wonder why everyone doesn't admit that the secret ingredient of design is fantasy. (Paul Goldberger Vanity Fair)
We've never met a host or hostess who has turned away a good coffee-table book. This season's includes those for both the design-and fashion-obsessed: a look at the work of David Rockwell (The Editors Town & Country)
Whether David Rockwell is designing Broadway sets (most recently Kinky Boots, for which he got a Tony nomination), restaurants (Nobu) or entire buildings (New York's forthcoming Culture Shed), he's telling a story, one that begins with the same question: What if? It's his "once upon a time," a way of setting up an imagined universe. It's also the title of his new book, which comes out in November from Metropolis, with contributions from fellow architect Elizabeth Diller, critic Justin Davidson, playwright John Guare and director Jack O'Brien. (Julian Sancton Departures)
WHAT IF...?: THE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN OF DAVID ROCKWELL playfully reveals his outside-the-box thought process. The book is structured as a series of questions: "Where would Marie Antoinette sleep in 21st-century Paris?" (The W Paris Opera hotel.) "What if the bellhop was a robot?" (It is at New York's Yotel.) Rockwell's ingenious designs provide the responses. (Peter Terzian Elle Decor)
A provocative title like What If...? (Metropolis Books, $45) is a lot for a book to live up to. Fortunately, the work featured in architect David Rockwell’s new monograph more than delivers. Each chapter surprises with a spectacular range of projects, from restaurants and hotels to stage sets and playgrounds. (Carrie Hojnick Architectural Digest)
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