How Story Meets Function - Brad Zuger - Defining Hospitality - Episode # 144

Our guest this week is a designer who treats each project as a chance to innovate. He’s worked across the globe on hotel, restaurant, and office projects. Please welcome to the show, Principal and Studio Leader at Rockwell Group, Brad Zuger!

Host Dan Ryan joins Brad at the Rockwell office in New York to discuss some of the recent projects the firm has been involved in. Brad shares the importance of having passion, the best ways to design with curiosity, and why Rockwell has a strong focus on incorporating wellness into the projects they design. 

Takeaways: 

• Hospitality is about making meaningful connections and indulging in people's curiosity for life. Craft narratives, prompt curiosity, and create spaces that make people want to connect and return.
• Consider how personal narratives can inspire unique experiences and meaningful connections within a space. Understanding the client's vision and creating innovative entry points can lead to transformative dining experiences.
• Design decisions should be made with depth of curiosity, allowing for interpretations that spark conversation and connection with spaces. Embrace layers of discovery in design to create rich and engaging experiences that invite people to return.
• The key to creativity lies in embracing risks and individuality, while finding purpose in meaningful work. Embrace risks, celebrate individuality, and find purpose in your work to make a meaningful impact.
• An often overlooked design element is dynamic change. Through a change in layout and lighting, a space can serve multiple purposes and engage with customers in multiple instances throughout the day. 
• Wellness encompasses more than just physical well-being; it also involves mental revitalization and meaningful connections with others, which are crucial for overall wellness and cognitive health as we age
• To improve engagement and attract people to office spaces, consider redefining shared spaces based on common interests. Emphasize creating a sense of community through innovative design elements and versatile spaces that facilitate connections.

Quote of the Show:

• “How could we think about this whole restaurant experience in a new way?” - Brad Zuger

Links:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bzuger/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-zuger-aia-7151321/ 
• Website: https://www.rockwellgroup.com/ 

Shout Outs:

• 4:21 - USC: https://www.usc.edu/ 
• 4:28 - Howards End
• 5:43 - W Union Square: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/nycnu-w-new-york-union-square/overview/ 
• 5:45 - Seahorse
• 5:53 - Coqodaq: https://www.coqodaq.com/ 
• 7:54 - Simon Kim: https://www.instagram.com/simonkimnyc/?hl=en 
• 8:16 - COTE: https://www.cotekoreansteakhouse.com/ 
• 21:44 - John McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mcdonald-2b22b8151/ 
• 21:48 - Mercer Street Hospitality: https://www.mercerstreethospitality.com/ 
• 21:50 - Lure Fishbar: https://www.lurefishbar.com/ 
• 35:24 - Philip Johnson
• 36:42 - The Olayan Group: https://olayan.com/ 
• 39:56 - Assouline: www.assouline.com 
• 44:38 - Naftali Group: https://naftaligroup.com/ 
• 44:46 - JEM: https://thejem.com/ 
• 48:53 - Miki Naftali: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikinaftali/ 
• 55:24 - Greg Keffer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-keffer-aia-leed-04aa101b/ 
• 1:01:13 - David Rockwell

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419