Despite its iconic location, the rink level at New York’s Rockefeller Center was, for a long time, a dark and confusing warren of spaces. When opening it up with an arterial system of curved walls, INC mined the archives for inspiration and drew on such diverse sources as the elliptical plan of the Elgin Botanic Garden, which existed on the site in the 1800s; it also referenced the use of bronze and terrazzo in Raymond Hood’s original design. Among the new plan’s many improvements, the entire space has been brightened by the removal of the original low ceilings (which revealed the steel and concrete structures overhead) and the incorporation of continuous S-shaped scoop cove lighting inspired by Radio City Music Hall.
Team Adam Rolston, Drew Stuart and Gabriel Benroth with Neil Shah, Sejung Kim and Nathan Mohamedali (INC); Turner Construction; AMA Engineering; Lighting Workshop; 2X4; Cerami; USIS; ADG; JDB
Despite its iconic location, the rink level at New York’s Rockefeller Center was, for a long time, a confusing warren of spaces. Not anymore.