David Rockwell: The hidden ways stairs shape your life
Architect David Rockwell draws on his love of drama and spectacle to create fantastic, high-impact restaurants, cultural facilities, airline terminals, theater sets -- and playgrounds. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
malleable physical elements
the Stairs]
to get from point A to point B
that you walk on.
that separates the two treads.
that create a kind of edge.
is a stringer.
make up all stairs.
from the first time someone said,
from the lower rock."
using whatever was available:
that were worn over time.
like the pyramids in Chichén Itzá
to a higher elevation,
for worship or for protection.
so has what's practical.
from all kinds of material.
there are spiraled stairs.
they can be outdoors.
in and of themselves.
our feeling, our safety
with the space around us.
a gradual, monumental staircase
of the New York Public Library.
and all the people around you,
because the tread is so wide.
to, say, an old pub,
so you move more quickly.
signaled a grand entrance
after September 11th
in leading hundreds of people to safety.
can have a huge impact, too.
that invites neighbors to gather,
wanting to hang out on the stairs.
a deeply human need we have
more than just on the ground plane.
halfway up there,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Rockwell - Architect, experience designerArchitect David Rockwell draws on his love of drama and spectacle to create fantastic, high-impact restaurants, cultural facilities, airline terminals, theater sets -- and playgrounds.
Why you should listen
David Rockwell, FAIA, is the Founder and President of Rockwell Group, an award-winning, cross-disciplinary architecture and design practice based in New York City with a satellite office in Madrid. The firm crafts a unique narrative for each project through the intersection of theater and architecture.
Projects include Nobu restaurants and hotels worldwide; The New York EDITION; the Union Square Cafe (New York); NeueHouse (New York and Los Angeles); the TED Theater (Vancouver); W Hotels worldwide; 15 Hudson Yards and The Shed in collaboration with Diller Scofidio + Renfro; the Imagination Playground initiative; and set designs for Falsettos, She Loves Me and Kinky Boots. From surface and floor coverings for Maya Romanoff, The Rug Company and Jim Thompson, to lighting for Rich Brilliant Willing, to furniture for Stellar Works and Knoll, the firm celebrates product design as a natural extension of its immersive environments.
Honors and recognition include 2016 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Scenic Design for She Loves Me; the AIANY President’s Award; Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award; the Presidential Design Award; Fast Company's World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies; the James Beard Foundation Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America; and the Interior Design Hall of Fame. Rockwell serves on the boards of the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), Citymeals-on-Wheels, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and New York Restoration Project. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
(Photo: Brigitte Lacombe)
David Rockwell | Speaker | TED.com