Wednesday, March 10, 2010Tim Peck

OBMITim Peck Takes OBMI into the Future

The veteran architect and resort design specialist, Tim M.E. Peck is the new chairman of OBM International. Tim, who has 30 years of experience working in the firm, is now at the helm of one of the world’s leading architecture and consulting firms, which specializes in master planning, hospitality design, residential, commercial and interior design. In his new role, he oversees all of the firm’s business units and a network of seven global offices. Throughout his successful career, Tim has kept a relentless passion for architecture and an affinity for telling stories through architectural designs that capture the essence and heritage of a setting.

After joining OBMI in 1980, Tim established himself in the British Virgin Islands where he started working on multiple resort, commercial and high-end residential developments. He later became the firm’s Regional Director for the Caribbean and most recently served as OBMI’s CEO for this region. As an executive officer, he directed corporate operations and business development, as well as provided his expertise on site analysis for developments in the Caribbean. During his tenure in these positions, the company developed many timeless projects in the British Virgin Islands including, the Long Bay Beach Resort, The Moorings Village and Scrub Island Resort and Marina.

Through its work in the Caribbean, the firm has not only contributed to the region’s progress, but it has also achieved a positive impact in its economic growth. “Architecture in general, particularly hospitality architecture, serves as a bellwether of international economic prosperity,” said Tim. “Having the opportunity to contribute to the financial growth of the countries that we work with through our profession and vision is an immense privilege for us. This is especially true for the BVI, which I am proud to call my home and where our company has cemented our roots for so long.”

In fact, 42 years ago the firm opened its first office outside Bermuda in the BVI, making it the first area of growth for the company. Since then, OBMI has become an important member of the BVI’s business community and the holding company for OBM International is still registered under its jurisdiction. OBMI’s Caribbean origins have also contributed to the firm’s strong knowledge of the local marketplace.

Having spent three decades living in the BVI, where he still resides, has also instilled in Tim a deep sense of connection and understanding for the local environment. It is this submersion and sensitivity for his surroundings that helps him translate the organic aspects of a space into architectural typologies and landmark designs.

This profound sense of purpose is also reflected on the company’s philosophy of capturing the indigenous characteristics of a project’s location and incorporating these into designs that fit the cultural context of a location. As Tim explains, “only with the utmost sensitivity to its natural environment, culture and history will a site become a place with a story and soul.” This regard for local identity is a concept that Peck and the OBMI team continue to employ as the company expands into new markets.

In recent years, OBMI has embarked on a successful expansion plan that has taken the company into new and emerging markets, in the Middle East and North and Sub Saharan Africa, including countries such as Libya, Morocco and Oman. In this last country OBMI led the design work for The Wave in Muscat, for which the firm was awarded the coveted CNBC Arabian Property Award in 2008. Throughout the expansion process, Tim played a pivotal role in handling new business relations and managing OBMI’s efforts as the firm entered these territories. In addition to these markets, today the firm operates projects in over 30 countries on five continents.

Despite having achieved an impressive global presence, OBMI has managed to stay connected to its Caribbean origins while leveraging and incorporating its international expertise. “Our focus for the future remains on ensuring the steady growth of our business and on generating opportunities in new markets. We plan to embrace these developments while keeping our core value of excellence and quality of design with an emphasis on incorporating new technologies and innovations,” expressed Tim.

OBMI’s steady international growth is built upon a significant portfolio of major master planning, interior design and hospitality work, for both resorts and hotels, in the Caribbean, Miami, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Examples of their extensive list of projects include Peter Island Resort in BVI, Veranda Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, and the Ritz Carlton Hotel Palm Hills in Egypt. For the upcoming years, OBMI has also scheduled many significant projects in France, Bermuda, Argentina, India and China, including the master planning project for the Shangchuan Island in Guandong, China.

Since the company’s establishment seven decades ago, OBMI has remained at the forefront of creating sustainable developments. Tim has been fundamental in maintaining the integration of this principle into the company’s design approach. Along with his team, the firm has focused on creating a sense of balance between the environment and modern design, as well as finding ways to integrate the conservation movement with the hospitality industry. As Tim describes, this idea of respect for a site’s surroundings, is part of the firm’s commitment to design environments that are created in harmony with a site’s cultural, environmental and economic influences, while conserving the local heritage and bringing forward its essence and character.

As part of its sustainability efforts, OBMI is part of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) board and is an active member of the US Green Building Council. The firm also adopts and fosters the LEED system (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), with Tim setting the standard for his team recently obtaining LEED accreditation, OBMI bolsters its number of LEED accredited professionals throughout the world.

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