Long before turning his attention to architecture, David Rockwell harbored a fascination with immersive environments. Growing up in the United States and Guadalajara, Mexico, Rockwell was a child of the theater, often cast in community repertory productions by his mother, a vaudeville dancer and choreographer. Rockwell brought his passion for theater and eye for the color and spectacle of Mexico to his architectural training at Syracuse University and the Architectural Association in London. These formative influences continue to have a strong impact on his practice.

In 1984 he founded Rockwell Group, an internationally renowned, award winning, cross-disciplinary architecture and design practice. Based in New York with satellite offices in Madrid and Shanghai, the firm focuses on a diverse array of projects ranging from restaurants, festivals and events, hotels, and retail stores, to Broadway set designs, art installations, and custom furniture.

In 2011 Rockwell was included in Architectural Digest's AD 100, and in May 2010 he was inducted into the James Beard Foundation Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America. He has also been honored with the 2009 Pratt Legends Award, the 2008 National Design Award by Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt for outstanding achievement in Interior Design, an induction into Interior Design magazines Hall of Fame, and the Presidential Design Award for his renovation of the Grand Central Terminal.

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