Okan Oncel, Principal
Okan is the Principal and Co-Founder of POP Architecture DPC.
Architecture is in Okan’s blood – his father Orhan Oncel was a notable architect in their hometown of Izmir, Turkey. Okan has distinct memories of sitting at the kitchen table as a boy, aged 6 or 7, and using colored pencils to sketch elevations of his father’s buildings. His mother often reminds Okan that he would call out a crooked building when he was three years old. As a child and adolescent, Okan would visit jobsites with his father, to which he credits his thorough understanding of how buildings, spaces and technical details come together.
He found freedom of design in the US, recalling that unbridled creativity during the early stages of a project was encouraged in the studio. Okan’s creative vision, coupled with outstanding technical skills, are evident in his designs and completed projects.
Okan Oncel has over 25 years of experience in the industry. Before founding POP, Okan held senior positions at Skidmore Owings & Merrill, Rafael Vinoly Architects and BBGM where he worked on supertall towers, mixed use commercial projects, hotels and institutional work. Some of his completed projects include the Arthaland Tower in Manila, Philippines (SOM), The ESSE Sukhumvit 36 in Bangkok, Thailand (SOM), and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston (RVA).
Okan’s design philosophy is rooted in his belief that architecture should be beautiful and inspiring in addition to functional and efficient. Okan’s approach to architecture is characterized by his meticulous attention to planning and curating the design in collaboration with his clients' desires, existing elements of the project, and the surrounding landscape. He believes that every project is unique and requires an individual approach to achieve the best results. Okan works closely with his clients to understand their needs and aspirations and then employs his technical expertise and creative vision to develop a design that is tailored to their specific requirements.
Okan received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture at Catholic University of America in Washington DC. He holds an architecture license in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont.