SPATIAL STORYTELLER

Award-winning architect David Rockwell on his four-decade career, creating Nobu's global identity, and crafting spaces that connect people through narrative

- Jennifer Choo

Few designers have shaped contemporary spaces with the narrative focus of David Rockwell. As founder and president of Rockwell Group, the architect has built a practice that spans continents and categories, from the theatrical energy of Nobu restaurants to the civic engagement of The Shed at Hudson Yards.

With more than 40 Nobu locations worldwide, multiple W Hotels, and a portfolio that includes airports, Broadway sets, museums, and even playgrounds, Rockwell has consistently blurred the boundaries between different design disciplines. His work has earned him the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, James Beard Foundation honours for restaurant design, and a Tony Award for his set design for She Loves Me.

Drawing on influences from his childhood in Guadalajara, Mexico, where community theatre first captured his imagination, the architect approaches each project as an opportunity to create environments where people connect. Now, with the recent completion of Nobu Bangkok—the largest in the restaurant group's history and located at one of Bangkok's tallest towers—Rockwell discusses his design methodology, the evolution of hospitality spaces, and the dialogue between cultural context and contemporary design.

How does the design of Nobu Bangkok showcase your longterm partnership with Nobu and the city’s cultural identity?