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    Rockwell Group creates “the cathedral of fried chicken” for New York restaurant

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    Arches of light warmly illuminate this Korean fried chicken restaurant in New York’s Flatiron district, designed by Rockwell Group.

    Coqodaq is the brainchild of restauranteur Simon Kim’s Gracious Hospitality Management, the group behind the Michelin-starred and James Beard-nominated COTE Korean Steakhouse.
    At Cododaq, glass and bronze modules form arches of light over dinersThe new restaurant offers an elevated take on traditional Korean-style fried chicken, encouraging diners to indulge in nuggets topped with caviar and to pair its “bucket” dishes with champagne.
    “Designed by Rockwell Group as ‘the cathedral of fried chicken’, the restaurant design delivers a daring, yet refined dining experience that skillfully integrates Korean and American influences, placing them at the forefront of this enticing culinary adventure,” said the restaurant team.
    The restaurant’s moody material palette and warm lighting set the tone for an elevated take on Korean fried chickenTo create the right atmosphere for this experience, Rockwell Group opted for a dark and moody interior of rich materials and low, warm lighting.

    “Our goal was to capture the essence of this unique concept and innovative approach to fried chicken and translate it into a memorable dining experience,” said founder David Rockwell.
    Plaster wall panels feature a crackled effect akin to fried chicken skinUpon entry, guests are invited to wash their hands in leathered soapstone basins, above which a row of pill-shaped light bands glow within a bronzed mirror that also wraps onto the side walls.
    Past the host stand, an area with four high-top tables offers a space reserved for walk-ins in front of garage-style windows.
    The long bar is topped with black soapstone and fronted with tambour woodThe main dining area is formed by a series of green leather and dark walnut booths on either side of a central walkway.
    A series of illuminated arches soar overhead, formed from rippled glass and bronze modules that resemble bubbling oil in a deep-fat fryer.
    The restaurant’s extensive champagne collection is displayed in glass cases with bubble-like lightingAt the end of this procession, a mirrored wall reflects glowing arches and creates the illusion of doubled space. Meanwhile, plaster wall panels feature a crackled effect, nodding to the crispy skin of the fried chicken.
    “The material palette was driven by a desire to surround diners in an envelope of warmth, creating a joyful place to be at any time,” Rockwell said.
    Rockwell Group creates atmospheric interiors for Perelman Center in New York

    Additional booth seating to one side is followed by the long bar, topped with black soapstone, fronted by tambour wood and backed by a luminous black liquor shelf.
    The restaurant’s extensive champagne collection – which it claims is the largest in America – is displayed inside glass cabinets installed with globe-shaped lights that look like giant bubbles.
    At the front of the restaurant is an area with high-top tables reserved for walk-in diners”Simon and I share the belief that the most important thing about restaurants is how they ritualise coming together for a shared, celebratory experience and Coqodaq provides the perfect template for that,” said Rockwell.
    Since Tony Award-winning designer founded his eponymous firm in New York 40 years ago, the studio has grown to a 250-person operation with additional offices in Los Angeles and Madrid.
    Upon arrival, guests are encouraged to wash their hands in leathered soapstone basinsAmong Rockwell Group’s recent hospitality projects are the Metropolis restaurant and lobby spaces at the Perelman Arts Center (PAC NYC) and Zaytina inside the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
    We’ve featured a few fried chicken restaurants recently, including a 1960s-influenced spot in Los Angeles and a neon-illuminated eatery in Calgary.
    The photography is by Jason Varney.

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      Rockwell Group creates atmospheric interiors for Perelman Center in New York

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      Ribbons of light guide patrons from the lobby to the restaurant inside the Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center, where the interiors are designed by New York-based Rockwell Group.

      The studio founded by designer David Rockwell recently completed the public spaces that include the Metropolis restaurant and adjoining lounge areas within the cube-shaped building, which local architecture studio Rex wrapped in thin marble panels.
      The lobby of the PAC NYC venue includes a stage for programmed performancesThe volume holds three flexible and interchangeable theatres that can be infinitely customised for different performance styles, artistic expressions and viewing experiences.
      These are accessed via the elevated lobby level, reached by climbing a grand exterior staircase that draws visitors under the building’s cube form and up through its base.
      A bridge behind the building’s translucent marble facade accommodates seatingThis dramatic entry sequence culminates at a lobby lounge and restaurant that form a new 9,120-square-foot (847 square metres) “community space” for Lower Manhattan, according to Rockwell.

      “The restaurant is intentionally woven throughout the public experience,” he told Dezeen. “There is no hard line between the lobby lounge, restaurant, and terrace, with one space melting into the next.”
      The lobby flows into the Metropolis restaurant, located the other side of angled trussesThe designer’s primary aim was to provide “a celebratory, communal atmosphere; connecting guests, whether you’re the first party there for dinner or the last one there post-show”.
      Rockwell’s combined experience in hospitality and performance design – he has won multiple Tony Awards for his Broadway sets – helped him to craft a seamless experience between these connected functions.
      LED lights within wooden ribbons follow pathways and form “nodes” above gathering areas”Creating a magical journey up into PAC NYC and intertwined with the lobby was a thrilling challenge, especially because the lobby and Metropolis will be host to many free performances on the small stage there,” said the designer.
      This stage will feature a varied program of performers who will entertain diners from a carefully placed vantage point, which allows sightlines from all corners of the lobby and restaurant.

      Lounge seating for up to 30 positioned closest to the stage is intentionally low-slung, so as not to obstruct the views for those further away.
      A bridge that runs along the inner side of the translucent stone facade holds additional seating, overlooking the grand entry staircase through huge panes of glass.
      Jewel-toned fabrics and textured surfaces warm the interiorsThe Metropolis restaurant is helmed by Swedish-Ethiopian chef Marcus Samuelsson, and serves an elevated, eclectic menu billed as “a love letter to New York City” to both performancegoers and the general public.
      Beyond the host stand and the diagonal structural trusses that flank it, the layout is split down the middle, with soft seating arranged on either side of the central axis.
      Rockwell Group designed the restaurant and lobby to act as a “communal space” for Lower Manhattan”The furniture is designed for flexibility and comfort, defined by several smaller areas with lots of seating variety, made up of banquettes and loose furniture and organised around a collection of vintage area rugs,” said Rockwell.
      Glowing bands within sapele wood ribbons trace curved shapes across its ceiling, beckoning guests into the space and also highlighting key areas for gathering such as the bar with chandelier-like “nodes” overhead.

      Rex clads “mystery box” World Trade Center performance arts center in translucent marble

      Jewel-toned upholstery pairs with rich walnut panelling for a warm and inviting feel, and the fabrics and other textured surfaces soften the polished concrete flooring.
      A 70-seat outdoor terrace at the back of the building will also offer al fresco dining during the summer months, visible from the interior through a huge glass wall.
      There’s space for 70 al fresco diners on the outdoor terraceThere’s also a speakeasy-like private dining room for intimate gatherings of up to 16.
      PAC NYC is one of the final pieces in the 16-acre World Trade Center redevelopment masterplan, joining skyscrapers by SOM, RSHP, and SANAA, the transit hub and a church by Santiago Calatrava, and a 9/11 Museum by Snøhetta.
      Rockwell aimed to create “a celebratory, communal atmosphere” both inside and outCelebrating its 40th anniversary next year, Rockwell Group has designed interiors for restaurants all over Manhattan, including Zaytinya, Katsuya, Casa Dani and Wayan.
      The firm also worked on The Shed venue at Hudson Yards, which also hosts performances along with exhibitions and other events within a highly flexible space beneath a giant “telescoping” cover.
      The photography is by Adrian Gaut.

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      Five key projects by architect and Dezeen Awards judge David Rockwell

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      New York architect David Rockwell has joined Dezeen Awards 2023 as a judge. Here, he selects five projects that best reflect his studio’s work.

      Architect and designer Rockwell is the founder of US practice Rockwell Group. He aims for his work to “help facilitate storytelling, community-building and memory-making”.
      “The core value I try to bring to all my work is empathy,” Rockwell told Dezeen.”I approach each decision from the perspective of those who will inhabit the spaces.”
      Projects spanning “theatre, hospitality and the public realm”
      “Working in the theatre has been an incredible training ground for strengthening my own capacity for empathy,” said Rockwell.

      “Our work falls into three main categories: theatre, hospitality and the public realm,” he continued. “Rockwell Group has been fortunate to work across a diverse range of project types, from restaurants, hotels, schools and offices to museum installations, Broadway sets and theatres.”
      The New York-based office is currently working alongside architectural firms Ennead Architects and SmithGroup to convert a museum at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC into an academic building for Johns Hopkins University,.
      Rockwell Group is also designing several restaurants in New York City, including collaborations with Ethiopian-born Swedish-American chef Marcus Samuelsson and French restauranteur Daniel Boulud, as well as an outpost for the international Taiwanese restaurant group Din Tai Fung.
      Rockwell among Dezeen Awards 2023 judges
      Dezeen Awards 2023 launched last month in partnership with Bentley Motors. On Tuesday we announced five more Dezeen Awards judges, including interior designers Kelly Behun and Martin Brudnizki and architects Lara Lesmes, Jayden Ali and Rooshad Shroff.
      Submit your entry before the standard entry deadline on Thursday 1 June. Click here for more entry information.
      Read on to find Rockwell’s views on the five projects that best represent the work of his studio.
      Nobu Hotel in Barcelona, SpainNobu
      “Our work with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa started 29 years ago when we designed his now iconic restaurant in Tribeca.
      “Chef Nobu’s innovative cooking, as well as his origins in the Japanese countryside, inspired an irresistible narrative we got to weave into our design.
      “All these years later, we are still reinventing Nobu – as both a restaurant and hotel brand – in cities worldwide. It is, without question, one of the most significant collaborations of my career. ”

      DineOut NYC, New York City, USA
      “We conceived our pro-bono project DineOut NYC at the height of the pandemic. Covid-19 had completely devastated our restaurant industry.
      “In addition to providing over 300 thousand jobs for New Yorkers, I have always had a strong personal attachment to this sector.
      “Designed in collaboration with the NYC Hospitality Alliance, DineOut is an adaptable, modular outdoor dining system. The project helped end our era of isolation by bringing people together again and getting restaurants back on their feet.
      “Design is most meaningful to me when it fosters community and I feel like we made a real impact doing just that with DineOut NYC.”
      Read more about DineOut NYC ›
      Photo by Paul WarcholHayes Theater and Take Me Out, New York City, USA
      “In 2018 we renovated the 100-year-old Hayes Theater, Broadway’s most intimate venue with only 600 seats.
      “In addition to instilling the historic space with a modern, approachable design vocabulary, we also needed to accommodate the staggering technical demands of modern productions.
      “Last year we had the chance to put our work to the test when we designed the sets for the revival of Take Me Out at the Hayes. Had the theatre been unable to meet our technical needs, I’d have had no one to blame but myself. Thankfully, I was a very satisfied customer.”

      NeueHouse Madison Square, New York City, USA
      “When it opened 10 years ago, NeueHouse Madison Square was a groundbreaking workspace collective that helped usher in a new typology in which art, life, culture, food, and work converge seamlessly.
      “This kind of convergence has taken on profound new meaning in our late-stage pandemic era, in which people are craving bespoke, communal experiences.”
      Read more about NeueHouse Madison Square ›

      TED Theater
      “Our portable TED Theater [for nonprofit foundation TED Talks] is approaching its 10th anniversary this year and it remains a great experiment in the power of ephemeral, shared experiences.
      “The attention to detail recalls permanent works of architecture but its flexibility allows it to adapt and evolve as TED does.”
      All images courtesy of Rockwell Group unless stated otherwise.
      Dezeen Awards 2023
      Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent. More