What do an airport terminal, the set of a Broadway show, and one of the most revered parks in New York City have in common?

They’ve all been shaped by renowned designer David Rockwell — and they all reveal the hidden choices that go into designing a public space.

David’s work shows a deep understanding of gathering places, in-between spaces, and transitions. He can shape a lobby, an atrium, or even a staircase to connect people with their surroundings in unseen ways. And there’s no better place to explore this masterful sculpting of public spaces than New York City, where David first designed W New York - Union Square during the late 1990s.

For nearly 25 years, this hotel towered over Union Square Park, within the historic Beaux-Arts Guardian Life building. Then, David was invited back to completely reinvent the hotel — the first in a series of transformations being made to W hotels across the world.

In this episode, David shares how his love of theater and his knowledge of Union Square’s history helped him to bring “one of the great living rooms of New York” into the hotels’ architecture and interior design, celebrating the many ways that Union Square Park acts as a stage for the city that never sleeps.

• 01:37 — What do an airport and a hotel have in common, and why did David work with a choreographer to design an airport terminal?
• 04:45 — How has Union Square, New York evolved since the year 2000, and how can that evolution be reflected in a hotel’s design?
• 08:00 — Why focus on a single staircase when overhauling a hotel lobby?

Featured Hotel: W New York - Union Square

Featured Designer: David Rockwell, The Rockwell Group

Explore more stories about hotel design at Travel by Design

Follow host Hamish Kilburn's hotel design reviews @HotelDesigns and global travels @hotel_travel_editor