UNVEILING AN EXTRAORDINARY NEW CHAPTER

By Tim Peck

OBMI is a rare company that has successfully navigated over eight decades as a thriving architecture firm — enduring adversity in many forms and coming out stronger each time. As we approach our 85th anniversary, we reflect on how our strong values and the conscious and unconscious aspects of innovation have served as our guiding light. We realized innovation does not only pertain to design, it also is crucial for our company’s broader approach to our business sector – which is why we are kicking off our 85th year with a new website and brand identity.

Resiliency has been tested from the start. Wil Onions founded OBMI in Bermuda in 1936 amid The Great Depression, which was followed by World War II. Some people called him brash, but we like to believe he was adventurous. Wil recognized travelers were seeking a level of luxury in their Bermudan escape but also desiring the authenticity of the island experience, exemplified in the character and charm of the traditional Bermudan cottages. He adapted and created the internationally recognized Bermudan Style of architecture that we still see today, revealing the island’s inherent character. Despite the timing, one thing remains true, OBMI was founded on innovation.

The firm’s inception in Bermuda equipped us with something that set us apart from so many of our competitors — in our islands, we lived and breathed our sensitive environments, which brought us to a level of understanding of the impact of development that few others had. As our work gained recognition, we were able to expand into new markets and leverage this depth of understanding to design projects that were sustainable, delicate, and luxurious without ever feeling out of place.

Our goal was never and has never been to design anything inauthentic, but rather to create storied places in the world’s most sought-after destinations. With the guidance of so many exceptional leaders, such as John McCulloch, Bill Bissell, Baudilio Ruiz, and Doug Kulig, OBMI has now made its mark in the Caribbean, the U.S., North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East, and our current expansion into Asia; each leaving their delicate footprints in our path to creating the OBMI legacy.

Today, the consistent energy of innovation that has seen OBMI through our textured history is stronger than ever. Now, it’s our turn to use this innovative spirit to reveal the firm’s inherent character, just as we did many years ago in Bermuda, and map out our new future. It is my honour to reveal to you today a new identity and the next chapter of our firm. Above all else, we are continually striving to be the best version of ourselves, and we believe this new look presents us to the world by valuing our past and looking forward to the future.

Here’s to the next 85 years.