David Rockwell, Photographer Brigitte Lacombe

在设计日新月异的时代，Rockwell Group以多元的创意和持续不断的经典设计在近40年的设计行业中依旧闪耀。届即将40周年庆，Designwire有幸采访到Rockwell Group创始人David Rockwell先生，听听他这40年的坚持与创新。

DW: Rockwell Group已经成立近40年了。你能分享一下40年持续创新背后的秘密和动力吗?

David: 不受约束的好奇心，还有渴望有合作以及对新想法的无限热情一直是我创造力的关键。当我开始我的实践，我知道我不想局限于一个特定的设计类型。我的重点一直是在每个项目中发现机会，做出改变，做一些没有做过的事情，做一些新的事情，无论规模或类型如何。

Unfettered curiosity has been the key for me to creativity, as well as the desire to collaborate, and an unbridled passion for new ideas. When I started my practice I knew I didn’t want to be confined to a particular design type. My focus has always been on uncovering opportunities in every project, to make a difference, make something that hasn’t been done, to make something new, regardless of scale or type.

DW:我们注意到“好奇心”是罗克韦尔集团的一个关键词。如何在信息爆炸的时代保持好奇心?

David: 我认为我们的工作室在处理项目时既带着一种好奇心，也带着一种乐观和包容慷慨的态度，而且网络上来自国内外同事和合作者的信息的可用性，支持了我们的设计过程。这种强烈的好奇心促使我们的工作室采用跨学科的方法，这使得众多的个性和人才能够合作，实验和发挥，使我们能够为我们所从事的每个项目提出创新和突破性的想法。

I think our studio approaches projects with both a sense of curiosity and a sense of optimism and generosity, and the availability of information on the internet, from colleagues and collaborators here and abroad, supports our design process. This strong sense of curiosity has led to our studio’s cross-disciplinary approach, which allows a plurality of personalities and talents to collaborate, experiment and play which enables us to come up with innovative and groundbreaking ideas for each and every project we work on.

Perelman Performing Arts Centre,Photography by Adrian Gaut

DW:作为一名餐厅设计专家，您不断为许多品牌和类型设计独特的空间体验。 如何才能持续创作而不重复？

David:创造独特的体验是我们项目的核心。 我们对完整体验的重视使我们能够创造出不重复的空间。 我们对任何项目的第一步都是完全沉浸在客户的意识形态、主题、灵感和目标中。 因此，如果是一家餐厅，我们想见见厨师，了解他们的美食，讨论他们计划提供的餐点流程——是否会鼓励顾客参加多门课程？ 饮料会单独存在还是与某些菜肴搭配？ 等等。一旦我们有了完整的理解，我们就会创建一个叙述，通过这个叙述来呈现我们的设计。 也许是因为我以剧院和布景设计的眼光来进行设计——布景和设计直接影响观众的叙事体验的领域——我想象我们的建筑和室内设计直接影响顾客在我们空间的体验，例如 在大都会的佩雷尔曼表演艺术中心（世界贸易中心的新表演艺术中心）和约翰霍普金斯大学布隆伯格中心（我们为约翰霍普金斯大学新建的研究生中心）。

Creating unique experiences is at the core of our projects. Our emphasis on the full experience is what enables us to create spaces that don’t feel repetitive. Our first step to any project is to fully immerse ourselves in the ideology, themes, inspirations, and goals of the client. So, if it’s a restaurant, we want to meet the chef, learn their cuisine, discuss the flow of the meals they plan to serve – will patrons be encouraged to take multiple courses? Will drinks exist separately or be paired with certain dishes? Etc. Once we have this complete understanding, we create a narrative through which our design emerges. Maybe because I approach design with an eye for theater and set design–a realm where the setting and the design directly influence the audience’s experience of the narrative–I imagine our architectural and interior design as directly influencing patrons' experiences in our spaces, such as at Metropolis at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, the new performing arts center at the World Trade Center, and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, our new graduate student center for JHU.

Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue,©️Alan Karchmer

DW: 近期的作品也经常使用艺术和艺术装饰（如手绘、绘画、马赛克、涂鸦等）。 做出决定时您会考虑哪些因素？

David: 我们经常与艺术家或工匠合作来推进我们想要讲述的故事。 考虑到建筑的复杂性，与我们工作室之外的人合作是建筑制作中的一个重要过程。 它实现了极富创造性的解决方案，否则单个创意思维无法实现。 当创造力来自截然不同的来源时，更好的答案就会出现。 这就是为什么我们对艺术家和工匠的作品非常感兴趣，他们通过制作的物品表达自己的观点。 最终，我们的目标是创造一个关于客户的故事，并使用各种设备（包括纹理、工艺、技术和意外碰撞）制作该故事的物理表达。 艺术是我们工具箱中的工具之一。

We often collaborate with artists or craftspeople to advance the story that we are trying to tell. Collaboration with people outside of our studio is an essential process embedded into the production of architecture given the complexity of building. It enables wildly inventive solutions otherwise unobtainable by a single creative mind. Better answers erupt when creative forces come from wildly divergent sources. That’s why we are very interested in the work of artists and craftsman who express their points of view through made objects. Ultimately, our goal is to create a story about the client, and craft a physical expression of that story using every device, including texture, craft, technology, and unexpected collisions. Art is one of the tools in our toolbox.

Zaytinya,Photographer Jason Varney

例如：

•纽约联合广场 W 酒店 – 我们选择了洛杉矶艺术家 Shantell Martin 为酒店入口创作一幅特定场地的壁画。 她的装置作品将采用大规模意识流线条图的形式。

•W New York - Union Square – We have selected Los Angeles-based artist Shantell Martin to create a site-specific mural for the hotel’s entry. Her installation will take the form of stream-of-consciousness line drawings on a large scale.

在纽约联合广场 W 酒店的 Seahorse 餐厅中，罗克韦尔集团借鉴了纽约市作为世界牡蛎之都的历史，以及与 W 品牌相呼应的一丝奇思妙想和幻想。 我们与 En Viu 合作，构思了一幅名为“蓝色狂想曲”的壁画，该壁画固定在好莱坞长椅上方的主餐厅中，包裹在天花板下。 海洋场景描绘了俏皮的人物、烟花、月亮和星光，色调丰富深沉，并配有金箔。 我们希望客人每次光临都能发现新的细节。

In Seahorse, the restaurant at the W New York – Union Square, Rockwell Group referenced New York City’s history as the oyster capital of the world, as well as a touch of whimsy and fantasy that echoes the W brand. Collaborating with En Viu, we conceived a painted mural titled “Rhapsody in Blue” that is anchored in the main dining room above the Hollywood banquettes, wrapping up under the ceiling. An ocean scene depicts playful figures, fireworks, the moon and starlight, with rich, deep tones and gold leaf. Our hope is that guests discover a new detail with every visit.

•Zaytinya – 形状和高度各异的编织织物吊坠簇在主餐厅中投射出温暖的光芒。 插图由罗克韦尔集团图形工作室设计，并由 The Alpha Workshops 手绘在灯具的亚麻灯罩上。Alpha Workshops 是一个为有形和无形残疾人士提供装饰艺术教育的非营利组织。

Zaytinya – Clusters of woven textile pendants in varying shapes and heights cast a warm glow in the main dining room. Illustrations, designed by Rockwell Group’s Graphics studio, were hand painted on the fixtures’ linen shades by The Alpha Workshops, a nonprofit organization that provides decorative arts education for people with visible and invisible disabilities.

Zaytinya,Photographer Jason Varney

•City Harvest – 由当地艺术家 Natasha May Platt 绘制的纽约本土植物壁画作为户外厨房的背景。

City Harvest – A mural of native NYC plants by local artist Natasha May Platt serves as the background to the outdoor kitchen.

•DineOut NYC – 我们与当地艺术家合作，在我们建造 DineOut 设施的社区中进行创作。 例如，对于唐人街的装置，我们与变形学校的学生和一位名叫 Sammi Qu-Kwok 的艺术家合作创作壁画。

DineOut NYC – We partnered with local artists in neighborhoods where we built DineOut installations. For example, for the Chinatown installation, we worked with students from the Transfiguration School and an artist named Sammi Qu-Kwok to create murals.

•Cathedrale – 对于 Moxy East Village 的餐厅，我们邀请了意大利艺术家 Edoardo Tresoldi 在主餐厅创作了一座名为菲尔莫尔 (Fillmore) 的纪念雕塑。

Cathedrale – For Moxy East Village’s restaurant, we invited Italian artist Edoardo Tresoldi to create a monumental sculpture entitled Fillmore in the main dining room.

DW:您的最新设计——The Boca Raton,，是一个改造项目。 它是如何带来新的生机同时延续传奇的？

David: 几十年来，Boca Raton以零零碎碎的方式进行了添加和翻新，Rockwell Group受到启发，重新考虑了舒适空间和客房的凝聚力和奢华，以一种真正现代的方式纪念原始建筑师Addison Mizner的地中海复兴风格。我们的设计团队强调了历史特色，并增加了温暖和现代奢华的当代层，感觉永恒。我们也在整个过程中融入了佛罗里达的室内外精神，向环境开放内部，并庆祝周围郁郁葱葱的环境。

The Boca Raton has been added on to and renovated in a piecemeal fashion over the decades, and Rockwell Group was inspired to rethink the amenity spaces and guest 3 rooms for cohesion and luxury, honoring original architect Addison Mizner’s Mediterranean Revival style in a really contemporary way. Our design team highlighted historic features and added warmth and modern luxury with a contemporary layer that feels timeless. We also embraced the Floridian indoor-outdoor ethos throughout, opening up the interiors to the environment and celebrating the lush surroundings.

The Boca Raton--Cloister Lobby ,Photography by Scott Frances

例如，拆除了Palm Court之前翻修的残余物，将其重新定位为酒店的核心。 秉承 Addison Mizner 的原创设计理念，我们的目标是打造一个温馨的室内/室外大堂和休息室，恢复其原有的庭院体验。 店面设有黑钢框架的玻璃拱门，这是对整个酒店随处可见的拱门的现代诠释，增强了湖景的视野。 Principessa 意大利餐厅的灵感源自意大利北部的湖畔餐饮，与 Palm Court 共用室外露台。 对于这个历史悠久的房间，我们引入了丰富的宝石色调，并庆祝了天花板上的木梁。 餐厅内铺有温暖的木质护墙板，并铺有经过修复的原始水磨石地板。 引人注目的水晶灯具凸显了历史悠久的横梁天花板，增添了温暖的光芒，而壁灯和镜子则反射着水景。

For example, Rockwell Group stripped away remnants of previous renovations to the Palm Court to re-center it as the heart of the property. Embracing Addison Mizner’s original design ideals, our goal was to create a welcoming indoor/outdoor lobby and lounge that restores its original courtyard experience. A storefront with glazed arches framed in black steel, a contemporary interpretation of the arches found throughout the property, enhance views out to the lake. And Principessa, the Italian restaurant inspired by northern Italian lakeside dining, shares the Palm Court’s outdoor patio. For this historic room, we brought in rich jewel tones and celebrated the timber beams in the ceiling. Warm wood wainscoting lines the dining room, which has a restored original terrazzo floor. Dramatic crystal light fixtures accentuate the historic beam ceiling and add a warm glow, while sconces and mirrors reflect water views.

The Boca Raton--The Palm Court ,Photography by Scott Frances

DW:您如何为一些修复或城市更新项目进行可持续设计？

David:当我们看到延长历史建筑寿命的修复和适应性再利用项目时，我们总是感到兴奋，从可持续发展的角度来看，这些项目通常是有意义的（在隔离最初进入建筑物的能源、具体能源和其他方面）， 并提供了很多灵感和故事。

We’re always excited when presented with restoration and adaptive reuse projects which prolong the life of historic buildings, often make sense from a sustainability standpoint (in terms of sequestering the energy, embodied and otherwise, that went into the building originally), and offer so much in terms of inspiration and story.

最近，我们帮助纽约市最大的食品救援组织之一城市丰收改造了布鲁克林日落公园的两座工业建筑。 我们构思了一个最先进的活动空间，配有现代化的演示厨房和景观露台，包括户外烧烤设施并享有河景。 该空间时尚且适合烹饪演示、企业志愿者活动或社区聚会——这是城市丰收以前从未有过的空间，可以帮助他们以全新的方式讲述他们的使命故事。

Recently, we helped transform two industrial buildings in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, for City Harvest, one of New York City’s largest food rescue organizations. We conceived a state-of-the-art event space with a modern demonstration kitchen and landscaped terrace, including an outdoor grill and river views. The space is a sleek and adaptable for cooking demos, events with corporate volunteers, or community gatherings – a space that City Harvest never had before and helps them tell the story of their mission in a whole new way.

Perelman Performing Arts Centre,Photography by Adrian Gaut

几年前，我们受纽约一家致力于制作当代戏剧作品的剧团 Second Stage Theatre 的委托，修复百老汇上最小的拥有 100 年历史的海耶斯剧院。 海耶斯剧院以其不同寻常的新乔治亚风格设计，在剧院区引人注目。 我们的目标是创造一种现代、平易近人的设计语汇，参考建筑的传统以及 Second Stage 的当代美学。 我们的团队在舞台上添加了最先进的索具系统，使布景艺术家能够构建更复杂的布景，而不会降低布景过渡的优雅性。 改造还包括对所有楼层的暖通空调系统进行全面检修、升级火灾报警系统以及增加节能措施，目标是获得 LEED 金级认证。 我们还使这座地标建筑更加符合 ADA 标准，添加了新电梯、 ADA 浴室等。

Several years ago, we were commissioned by Second Stage Theater, a New York theater company dedicated to producing contemporary works of theater, to restore the 100-year-old Hayes Theater–the smallest on Broadway. With its unusual Neo-Georgian design, the Hayes Theater is a striking presence in the Theater District. Our goal was to create a modern, approachable design vocabulary that referenced the building’s heritage as well as Second Stage’s contemporary aesthetic. Our team added a state-of-the-art rigging system in the stage house that allows scenic artists to build more sophisticated sets without reducing the elegance of scenic transitions. The renovation also included a complete overhaul of the HVAC system on all floors, an upgraded fire alarm system, and the addition of energy saving measures, with a goal of earning LEED Gold certification. We also made the landmark building more ADA accessible, adding a new elevator, an ADA bathroom, etc.

DW: 随着AI的快速发展，您在设计应用时如何看待AI对设计的影响？ 团队是否也使用AI来辅助？

David:AI更多的是作为我们灵感的源泉； 它只是我们工具箱中的另一个工具。 如果每个好故事都是关于它激发观众的好奇心，那么人工智能就是满足客户（他们的和我们的）好奇心的一种快速方式。 当我们努力满足对生产力的新期望时，人工智能提供的速度让我们探索形式和空间的新途径。 我 项目的更大背景。 我们不仅仅使用文字与人工智能进行交互。 我们使用自己的草图和拼贴画来生成植根于视觉和语言故事的结果。

AI serves more as a source of inspiration for us; it’s just another tool in our toolbox. If every good story is about the curiosity it sparks in an audience, AI is a fast way to indulge curiosities with our clients – theirs and ours. The speed AI offers lets us explore new pathways for form and space as we grapple with new expectations for productivity. We can scrutinize AI’s results to see what elements are worth developing: Bringing rigor, detail, and craft to move successful “brainstorms” into real designs or helping us make a decision about materiality, how something could work, and how it really sits in a project’s larger context. We go beyond just using words to interact with AI. We are using our own sketches and collages, to generate results that are rooted in stories that are visual as well as verbal.

DW: 明年是否会举办特别的40周年庆祝活动？ 您能否给我们介绍一下反映Rockwell Group未来发展的三个关键词？ 

David:我们一直在筹划各种活动和庆祝活动，以庆祝来年我们的 40 周年纪念日。 一切都将从 12 月 6 日的室内设计名人堂晚会上拉开序幕。 展望明年，我们计划与工作室的长期客户和朋友一起举办各种活动。 因为人们创造了这个地方，所以我们正在为我们的员工制定一些特殊的计划。 这些活动将全年举行，并由不同的客户、朋友和行业领导者进行演讲。 这不仅是我们向员工和客户表示感谢和赞赏的一种方式，而且还进一步弘扬了我们全公司的好奇心价值观。

We have been planning various events and celebrations to celebrate our 40th anniversary this coming year. Everything will kick off with the Interior Design Hall of Fame gala on December 6th. Going forward next year, we have various events planned with longtime clients and friends of the studio. And because the people make the place, we’re working some special programming for our staff. These would take place throughout the year and feature talks from various clients, friends, and industry leaders. Not only is this a way to thank and show our appreciation to both our staff and clients, but it also furthers our company-wide value of curiosity.

当我们迈入 40 周年之际，我们将重点放在建筑（通常是意想不到的建筑细节和灵感）之间的关系； 戏剧（展开的、深入的叙事以及分层的能量和情感感）； 和团结（帮助人们聚集在一起并感受到活力的大胆能力）。 创造将人们聚集在一起的空间一直是罗克韦尔集团的核心，我们期待在未来几年将这种方法提升到新的水平。

As we move into our 40th year, we are focusing on the relationship between Architecture (often-unexpected building-like details and inspiration); Drama (an unfolding, deeply imbedded narrative and layered sense of energy and emotion); and Togetherness (a bold ability to help people come together and feel alive). Creating spaces that bring people together has always been at Rockwell Group’s core, and we are looking forward to taking that approach to the next level in the years to come.

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