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// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Omer Arbel an architect? Does he have a great bell curve?

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Omer Arbel
עומר ארבל
Born1976 (age 49–50)
Jerusalem, Israel
EducationPoint Grey Secondary
Alma materUniversity of Waterloo
OccupationsDesigner, sculptor and creative director of Bocci and OAO
Known forAmbient glass lighting, materials research, etc.
Websitewww.omerarbel.com

Omer Arbel (Hebrew: עומר ארבל; born 1976) is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist.[1] He is the co-founder and creative director of Bocci, a Canadian design and manufacturing company known for sculptural lighting, furniture, and architectural installations.[2] His work spans industrial design, architecture, sculpture, and experimental materials research, and has been exhibited internationally at museums, galleries, and design institutions.[3]

Early life and education

[edit]

Arbel was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1976 and later moved to Canada.[4] As a youth he competed in fencing and represented Canada internationally, including participation in the 1993 Maccabiah Games.[5]

He studied architecture and environmental design at the University of Waterloo. Following his studies, he worked with several architectural practices, including collaborations associated with Enric Miralles and Patkau Architects, before establishing his own independent practice.[6]

Career

[edit]

Bocci

[edit]

In 2005 Arbel co-founded Bocci with entrepreneur Randy Bishop in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was established as a platform for experimental design, materials research, and fabrication.[6][7]

Bocci's first commercial product, the 14 series, was developed through investigations into cast-glass manufacturing processes and became one of the company's most commercially successful lighting systems. Under Arbel's creative direction, Bocci expanded internationally, developing a portfolio of lighting, furniture, electrical accessories, and large-scale installations.[8]

The company operates production facilities and exhibition spaces in Vancouver, Berlin, and Milan. Its work has been noted for integrating craft production, industrial manufacturing, and experimental research within a single organizational structure.[9]

Arbel has described Bocci as a multidisciplinary environment in which architects, designers, engineers, glassblowers, metalworkers, and fabricators collaborate throughout the design and production process.[10]

Design practice and materials research

[edit]

Arbel established his independent studio practice in 2005. His work is organized numerically according to the chronological sequence of investigations rather than by product category or discipline.[11]

Much of his design work originates from material experimentation rather than predetermined formal concepts. His investigations have included glass casting, blown glass, concrete formwork, metal casting, textile-based construction systems, and large-scale architectural fabrication techniques.[12]

Design critics have frequently characterized his work as process-oriented, with finished objects emerging from the physical properties and behaviour of materials during fabrication.[13]

Architecture

[edit]

Alongside his industrial design practice, Arbel has undertaken residential, commercial, and experimental architectural projects through OAO (Omer Arbel Office).[14]

Among his best-known architectural works is 23.2, a residence in British Columbia constructed using reclaimed Douglas fir beams recovered from historic regional forests.[15] The project was widely published within architectural media and explored themes of material reuse, regional history, and structural archaeology.[16]

Another significant project, 75.9, was completed on a hay farm in the Pacific Northwest.[17] The project employed fabric-formed concrete construction techniques and received international architectural recognition, including a World Architecture Festival award in 2019.[18]

Arbel's architectural work has been exhibited at institutions including the Surrey Art Gallery[19] and Aedes Architekturforum in Berlin.[20]

Among his notable projects is 91.0 (Bridge House), a 3,200-square-foot residence on Galiano Island, British Columbia, completed in 2024.[21] Clad in cedar and situated within a forested coastal setting, the house was designed to engage with the surrounding landscape through a restrained material palette and an emphasis on natural light.[22] The project received international architectural media coverage, including features in Dezeen[23], Wallpaper[24] and ArchDaily.[25]

Arbil also led the design of 94.0 (Governors Point), a 125-acre waterfront development in Bellingham, Washington.[26] Conceived as a master-planned coastal community, the project comprises sixteen custom-designed residences positioned along the shoreline. Developed exclusively by Omer Arbel Office (OAO), the project emphasizes site-specific architecture and environmental integration, with each residence designed in response to its immediate landscape context.[27] The development has been featured in publications including Dezeen[28], Architectural Digest[29], and Surface Magazine.[30]

Olympic medals

[edit]

In 2010, Arbel was selected to co-design Canada's 2010 Olympic medals in collaboration with Aboriginal artist Corrine Hunt.[31] His original submission, 27.3, included plans for the medals to be held together by invisible magnets, concealing a cavity on the inside where an athlete could store a memento, and having an onsite engraver etch the sounds of the last ten minutes before a medal event onto the medal itself. Financial and practical concerns prevented these plans from being realized.[32]

Exhibitions and installations

[edit]

Arbel's work has been selected for public installations that combine artwork and industrial design.[2] His work has been exhibited at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan, the Art Institute of Chicago, and at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Vancouver, Mallett Antiques, Canada House, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The 2013 Victoria and Albert Museum exhibit featured 280 of the 28 spheres cascading more than 30 meters from the museum's vaulted ceiling.[33] Canada House was reopened in February 2015 with the addition of 157 of Arbel's 57 series lights winding down the central staircase.[34] On March 5, 2015 Arbel unveiled installation of his new 16 series at Vancouver's Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel.[35] The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) announced on March 16, 2015 that Arbel would be awarded the Allied Arts Medal for 2015 based on his recent work at the Victoria and Albert Museum.[36]

Omer Arbel’s first solo exhibition of sculptural work was shown at the Monte Clark Gallery in Vancouver, in 2015.[4] In 2020, Omer Arbel showed a new series of sculptural works at Carwan Gallery in Athens. The show consisted of 70 unique copper objects and marked the launch of Carwan Gallery’s new exhibition space in Athens.[37][38]

In 2020, Arbel presented 75, 86, 91, 94 at Aedes Architekturforum in Berlin. The solo exhibition examined four major architectural projects through drawings, large-scale models, prototypes, films, and concrete sculptures installed both inside and outside the exhibition spaces. The exhibition focused on material experimentation, fabrication processes, and the relationship between architecture and landscape.[39]

During the London Design Festival in 2022, Arbel presented Material Experiments at the Victoria and Albert Museum.[40] For nine days, the museum's John Madejski Garden was transformed into a functioning glassblowing studio, reportedly the first live glassmaking facility established within the museum. The project centred on Arbel's 113 process, in which molten copper is poured into blown-glass vessels, with completed works subsequently transferred in procession to the museum's Santa Chiara Chapel for exhibition.[41]

In September 2022, Arbel participated in V&A Material Experiments during the London Design Festival at the Victoria and Albert Museum.[42] The project featured a live glassblowing studio installed in the museum's John Madejski Garden, marking the first occasion on which the museum hosted a functioning glassblowing workshop within its grounds. The event provided visitors with direct access to the experimental processes underlying Arbel's glass-based works and reflected his ongoing interest in the role of chance and material behavior in design.[43]

In April 2025, Arbel presented The Numbers Between the Numbers at Bocci's Milan gallery during Milan Design Week.[44] Organized to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Bocci, the exhibition was curated by David Alhadeff and brought together a broad selection of prototypes, archival studies, and experimental works from across Arbel's career. The exhibition examined the creative processes that informed Bocci's numbered product series and highlighted the iterative development of many of the company's best-known designs.[45][46]

In May 2025, Arbel presented Omer Arbel: Selected Works at No.9 Cork Street during London Craft Week. Installed within Frieze's permanent Mayfair gallery space, the exhibition featured a spatial arrangement of prototypes, material investigations, and finished works spanning multiple disciplines.[47] Rather than following a chronological format, the exhibition emphasized recurring themes in Arbel's practice, including experimentation, material transformation, and the relationship between artistic inquiry and industrial production.[48]

Architectural projects by OAO have received international recognition and have been featured in publications including Architectural Digest[49], Dezeen[11], Wallpaper[50], ArchDaily[48], and The Architect's Newspaper.[51][52]

Teaching and academic activities

[edit]

Arbel has participated as a guest critic, lecturer, and thesis reviewer at the University of British Columbia School of Architecture.[53]

In 2012 he taught a master class on form at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City.[54]

His work has also been the subject of academic and institutional discussions concerning material experimentation, fabrication methodologies, and contemporary design practice.[55]

Publications

[edit]

In 2021 Phaidon published Omer Arbel, a monograph surveying his work across architecture, industrial design, sculpture, and materials research. The volume included essays by design historians and curators examining the development of his practice.[56][57]

Awards and recognition

[edit]

In 2011 Arbel was named Industrial Designer of the Year by Western Living magazine.[58]

In 2015 the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada announced that he would receive the Allied Arts Medal in recognition of contributions to architecture and design.[59]

His architectural projects have been shortlisted multiple times for international architecture awards, and his project 75.9 received recognition at the World Architecture Festival in 2019.[18]

Design approach

[edit]

Arbel's work has been associated with experimental and research-based approaches to design. Rather than beginning with predetermined forms, many projects originate through investigations into manufacturing processes and material behaviour.[60]

Writers and critics have noted the way his practice moves between architecture, industrial design, sculpture, and fabrication research, often treating these disciplines as interconnected rather than distinct fields.[61][17]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "The Alchemical Talent of Omer Arbel is in Full Display at Carwan Gallery's New Athenian Home". Yatzer. September 19, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Made in Vancouver: Omer Arbel | Vancouver Magazine". www.vanmag.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ Plag, Celina. "Designer Omer Arbel: Der Erleuchter und sein ganz großer Traum". FAZ.NET (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ "Men's Epee (Junior)". Archived from the original on October 20, 2009.
  6. 1 2 "The Secret of Bocci's Success". Azure Magazine. January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  7. ↑ Magazine, Wallpaper* (December 23, 2015). "Spheres of influence: a new base in Berlin gives design firm Bocci a chance to shine". Wallpaper*. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Omer Arbel presents experiments with concrete at Particles for the Built World exhibition". Dezeen. June 9, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Omer Arbel - Architektonische Experimente in Material und Form - Aedes Architecture Forum". www.aedes-arc.de. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  10. ↑ "PIN–UP | BOCCI'S OMER ARBEL'S FORAY INTO ARCHITECTURE". PIN–UP | BOCCI’S OMER ARBEL’S FORAY INTO ARCHITECTURE. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  11. 1 2 Mazade, Kate (December 17, 2025). "Omer Arbel Office designs a Canadian house for water level rise". Dezeen. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  12. ↑ Murphy, Jack (April 15, 2026). "At Bocci and beyond, Omer Arbel conjures magical spatial experiences". The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  13. ↑ Jebara, Paul. "How Designer Omer Arbel Brought 'Liquid Light' To Paris Art Week". Forbes. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  14. ↑ Roux, Caroline (June 5, 2025). "Outside Vancouver, an Experimental Home Tucked Into the Forest". Architectural Digest. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  15. ↑ "23.2 House | OAO - Omer Arbel Office". Archilovers. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  16. ↑ Kushins, Jordan. "23.2 House (14 Photos)". Dwell. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Álvarez, Antonella (December 4, 2023). "75.9, a House that Plays with Process and Material". ARQA (in European Spanish). Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  18. 1 2 "ArchDaily México | La plataforma de arquitectura más leída en español". ArchDaily México (in Mexican Spanish). June 15, 2026. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  19. ↑ Griffiths, Alyn (June 9, 2019). "Omer Arbel presents experiments with concrete at Particles for the Built World exhibition". Dezeen. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  20. ↑ Ravenscroft, Tom (July 21, 2020). "Omer Arbel Office films concrete tree-like forms that will become House 75.9". Dezeen. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  21. ↑ "At Home on the Edge With Bridge House". NUVO. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  22. ↑ Pascual, Levy (October 24, 2025). "91.0 by Omer Arbel Office". The Local Project. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  23. ↑ Mazade, Kate (December 17, 2025). "Omer Arbel Office designs a Canadian house for water level rise". Dezeen. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  24. ↑ "This retreat deep in the woods of Canada takes visitors on a journey". Wallpaper*. December 24, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  25. ↑ "91.0 House / Omer Arbel". ArchDaily. February 4, 2026. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Bocci — Preservation Meets Collaboration: Governors Point, an…". Bocci. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  27. ↑ Ibrahim, Naser Nader (November 7, 2024). "Governors Point: A Symphony of Nature and Design by Omer Arbel/ Visual by CUUB". AmazingArchitecture. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  28. ↑ Dreith, Ben (October 29, 2024). "Omer Arbel proposes surrounding Washington houses with "cedar orbs"". Dezeen. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  29. ↑ McLaughlin, Katherine (October 17, 2024). "These 16 Remote Homes Blend Into Nature Like We've Never Before Seen". Architectural Digest. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  30. ↑ Waddoups, Ryan (October 31, 2024). "At Governors Point, Omer Arbel Meets the Sea Ranch". SURFACE. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  31. ↑ "2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games medals unveiled". Vancouver Sun. October 14, 2010. Archived from the original on October 23, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
  32. ↑ "Maclean's. Commemorative Olympic Issue" (PDF). March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Bocci at the V&A for London Design Festival 2013". September 13, 2013.
  34. ↑ "Bocci's Omer Arbel lights up new look Canada House". Archived from the original on March 19, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Canadian design firm Bocci lights up the Vancouver sky". March 9, 2015.
  36. ↑ "RAIC announces recipient of 2015 Allied Arts Medal | RAIC | Architecture Canada". raic.org. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  37. ↑ "carwan gallery inaugurates new space in athens with omer arbel's copper sculptures". designboom | architecture & design magazine. September 23, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  38. ↑ "The Alchemical Talent of Omer Arbel is in Full Display at Carwan Gallery's New Athenian Home". Yatzer. September 19, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Omer Arbel and Kulapat Yantrasast Dream Of Biological Concrete Autre Magazine". Autre Magazine. September 16, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  40. ↑ Adamson, Glenn (October 11, 2022). "Meltdown at the V&A - Exhibitions". The Design Edit. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  41. ↑ "Bocci — Omer Arbel presents Material Experiments at the V&A". Bocci. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  42. ↑ Elliott, Martha (September 22, 2022). "Omer Arbel's live glass-blowing unites sculpture and experimentation at the V&A". Wallpaper*. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  43. ↑ "Omer Arbel Material Experiments Stage · millimetre". millimetre. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  44. ↑ Burgers, Mary (April 18, 2025). "Vancouver's Bocci Celebrates 20 Years of Innovative Lighting Design at Milan Design Week". NUVO. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  45. ↑ "Bocci — The Numbers Between the Numbers". Bocci. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  46. ↑ admin (May 6, 2025). "Forbes: All The Musts At Milan Design Week 2025". Calico Wallpaper. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  47. ↑ "Gallery of 75.9 House / Omer Arbel - 9". ArchDaily. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  48. 1 2 "Gallery of 75.9 House / Omer Arbel - 9". ArchDaily. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  49. ↑ Roux, Caroline (June 5, 2025). "Outside Vancouver, an Experimental Home Tucked Into the Forest". Architectural Digest. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  50. ↑ "This retreat deep in the woods of Canada takes visitors on a journey". Wallpaper*. December 24, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  51. ↑ Murphy, Jack (April 15, 2026). "At Bocci and beyond, Omer Arbel conjures magical spatial experiences". The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  52. ↑ Budds, Diana (June 15, 2026). "The not-so-secret weapon to a successful project? Lighting consultants". The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Omer Arbel | Architecture | University of Waterloo". uwaterloo.ca. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  54. ↑ gillispj (November 13, 2011). "Omer Arbel Lecture - SCE". SCE. Archived from the original on September 6, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  55. ↑ "Behind The Designs At ECC: Omer Arbel". ECC. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  56. ↑ Arbel, Omer; Rebick, Stephanie (2021). Omer Arbel. London : New York: Phaidon. ISBN 978-1-83866-253-0.
  57. ↑ "Omer Arbel". port magazine. May 14, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  58. ↑ "50 Years of WL: #33 The Design Genius of Omer Arbel". Western Living Magazine. August 23, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  59. ↑ "Vancouver designer named recipient of RAIC Allied Arts Medal". Building.ca.
  60. ↑ "Omer Arbel balances nature and form in this award-winning Canadian Pacific Northwest house". Archinect. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  61. ↑ designboom, christina petridou I. (November 29, 2023). "omer arbel crafts lily pad-shaped columns for family home in canada". designboom | architecture & design magazine. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
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