By JACQUELYNN D. POWERS, Photographs: JONATHAN LEVINE

rchitect David Rockwell's first project in Las Vegas was for visionary Steve Wynn; the colorful Samba Grill still stands as a Brazillian-themed eatery at the Mirage. Since then, his 200-person Rockwell Group has designed Nobu (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino), Emeril's (MGM Grand), Mesa Grill (Caesars Palace), Cherry (Red Rock Casino Resort Spa), Strip House (Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino) and the chandelier for Phantom--The Las Vegas Spectacular (The Venetian). David's vibrant and quirky stamp will next be seen on spaces such as Payard Patisserie & Bistro (Caesars Palace), Dos Caminos (The Palazzo), Simon at Palms Place, BLT Burger (Mirage) and the Crystals at CityCenter, its retail-entertainment component, a task he shares with famed architect Daniel Libeskind. (Cesar Pelli and Helmut Jahn are also involved with the impressive 76-acre CityCenter complex.) With his extensive knowledge of Las Vegas, Rockwell hopes to fashion the "connective tissue" of CityCenter into a stage where raw elements and bold features (think a modern tree house) inspire people to eat, shop and truly interact.

It's no surprise that David is drawing on his theater background for the Crystals. After all, Rockwell was immersed in the arts almost from infancy. His mother was a vaudeville performer and choreographer who often cast her son in roles in community theater. Although he gave up acting for an architecture degree at Syracuse University in New York State, his love of the stage has only increased and serves as his underlying muse. He has constructed sets for Broadway musicals such as Hairspray, Legally Blonde and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Overall, his work has a cinematic quality to it with elements of light, choreography and whimsy. While he is renowned for his commissions for staples such as Nobu, W Hotels, Rosa Mexicano, the Kodak Theatre and the upcoming Trump SoHo, Rockwell is also enamored with the notion of public spaces and city life. In Las Vegas, he has the opportunity to explore and mold all his creative urges.

VEGAS: Describe the Crystals project you are designing at CityCenter.

DAVID ROCKWELL: We've created this natural and electronic landscape. It's an abstracted 21st-century park with many wonderful live elements. There's a big welcoming carpet of flowers that changes seasonally and sweeps through the project. There's a three-story wood structure that's a series of simple horizontal slabs that create a form that works like a tree house, but in a modern vocabulary. It's an abstract, graceful wood structure. We are also doing the grand stair, which is a big flowing stair that goes up 24 feet. It's our nod to the Spanish Steps in Rome. It will overlook the amazing spectacle of people having fun. Vegas is full of people, and we are creating theatrical spaces. One of the attractions of Vegas is the amazing confluence of people and the drama of public theater. So much of what I'm interested in with design is the power of live experiences and shared space. Vegas is the ultimate example of this in a world where people are so into on-line communities.

What materials are you using?

We are using natural materials that will feel good to the touch, so that it engages all of the senses. We are using every possible wood: epay, mahogany and maple. We are using agate, which is pieces of crystal cut in slices that we're backlighting. We have these columns that go from the floor to the ceiling that have a trellis above with beautiful hanging plants. It's like being in an updated idea of a gazebo. Vegas has gone from a place where people didn't want you to know what time of day it was--or what season it was--to a place that really celebrates the time and the season.

CityCenter is a collaboration with other famous architects. Is there a sense of cohesion?

There's a sense of the same kind of dynamic transitions you get in New York City. MGM has put a sense of collaboration into place. They got all of the architects to work together to kick off the project. Everyone wasn't working in their own world. They were collaborating on a shared vision, and then everyone developed their own piece.

You have just finished designing Payard Patisserie & Bistro at Caesars Palace. What was that like?

We wanted Francois Payard's food to be center stage. There's an open, filigree, deepchocolate-covered structure that you just move through. You are seduced into the place. The main dining room has a dramatic, circular expo kitchen in the center with this spectacular animated structure that uses real chocolate.

Like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

It's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory if he were French and had great taste ...

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