It was 10:15am on the 25th of September, 2002 when we stepped onto Uhuru Peak. The energy on that peak far exceeded any expectation and furthermore, it left me with a very powerful intent. Recognizing the momentous lineage of humanity that allowed me to be here, I vowed to do my part to evolve us.
I climbed mountains for over a decade, managing to summit 34 of Colorado’s 14ers and summited the tallest point in the continental US, Mt Whitney. The tip about mountain climbing is to train as best you can to get as strong as you can, then go climb ze mountain. In architecture, I have trained for over 4 decades and built capacity that only arrives by having done it, again and again. I am now climbing the mountain with everything I have. Join me: Poche Introduction 2026
Part Two: I attended PAACADEMY Design Tech Talk a few weeks ago because StructureCraft was one of the speakers. I (Poche) was a tiny guppy among sleek whales. But here is the thing, the impressive scale difference was irrelevant because where Poche was headed had been undeniable. The world of parametric architecture, where the environment, geography, zoning, and truss constraints push and pull to make intelligence was right there in that first wobbly sketch. And the power embedded in that sort of sketch has cajoled me into places I would never have entered. I make small houses. Computational design and all its heavy lifting has nothing to do with my work. Or does it?
Being pulled by something undeniable is not negotiable. It will find a way to catch your attention and land you on its path. Poche thrust me into the world of startups, famously thick in Boulder, where the irascible lessons peeled me apart. Pivot, pivot, pivot: I know the path is here somewhere. And then it landed. Design software. And what do I know or care about software? – the universe is laughing! But the bell kept dinging every time I faced ‘software’. The tech talk illuminated all the micro dots that I had noticed but failed to see (innovation afoot?). Software is not my landscape. Yet here I am. The Poche Optimizer is design software. It will enable that undeniable sketch to enter the world. I know the power of those sketches, we call them Parti, but never before has a Parti jumped beyond its’ specific site. The Poche’s Parti entered the entirety of architecture. And at least a decade ahead of my wee studio.
snəɡ: comfortable and well protected from the weather; close-fitting; providing a position of contentment.
In 2021 I applied for a patent for the Poche framing system. Four years later, much to my surprise, the patent was granted. It was intended for small houses. But something happened between February 2021 and February 2025. Tragedies. My son died. Then my husband and mate of 45 years died. For anyone who has experienced this sort of personal loss, you know that it ungrounds you in unimaginable ways. This happened to the Poche framing system. It became detached from the house and floated in a creative ether where the following conversation materialized:
ml: I keep thinking about a Snug.
You: What’s that?
ml: A super small place. You will not easily fit furniture into the Snug.
You: What do we use it for?
ml: You will BE in the Snug.
You: What?
ml: Doing nothing.
You: Why?
ml: Because you can.
You: hmmm, What a waste.
ml: Maybe. But here is the thing: When you do nothing in a space that is made for doing nothing, something happens. Time slows. And you begin to notice everything that goes on in nothing.
You: So what?
ml: You feel different, serene. For no reason at all.
You: Huh?
ml: You go into the Snug once.
You: And?
ml: Nothing, but you decide to give it a second chance. And you notice maybe, just maybe you do feel different. So you try it again.
TIMELINE
February 18, 2025: USPTO patent #12227946 Issued to Inventor ml Robles
2025:
Q1: Design Development
-snug materials
-snug context: land
+build up twig structures
+garden/tree possibilities
Q1&2: Build a Snug and Document the process
-get investor and build on ml’s land
-accept a client and build on their land
Q3&4: Market the Snug
-to resorts, getaways etc. as guest amenity
-to private clients
-to exclusive developments as unique amenity for their residents
-to public urban context (library, convention center, any public area with a secured outdoor space).
Q3&4: Build Snugs
-document the stories of doing nothing
-document the stories of serene
The dialogue continues..
You: what’s your competition and how does Snug stack up against it….Sauna? Unused bedroom? Lounge chair in living room, on beach, etc.?
ml: Beautiful understanding of what the Snug is. Yes, all the aforementioned qualify as Snug moments. One vital part of the Snug is that it will be set in nature, however that needs to be established given the setting (backyard versus public park versus retreat setting)
You: the obvious elephant in the room is creating the demand for it – that doing nothing/sereness is something we want, AND getting/doing that in a dedicated space is the best/only(?) way to get it.
ml: most excellent point. which is why the previous short narrative does not make any assertions. there is insurmountable evidence from health and wellbeing to performance and evolution; using science and philosophy and spirituality to assert the value of being at peace. It is one of those: will know it when I see it moments. I came to know it through architecture, i think you experienced it at the EOM projects we visited in Culver City. Slow architecture. The Snug is inserting itself into that context as a threshold. a slice of space modulating inside and outside by provoking the experience of nothing.
ml: the most curious part of this Snug proposal is that those who are ready for it will show up, everything else is irrelevant. what a wild business approach!!
As we struggle with affordability in housing construction, the Poche_Truss brings a modestly priced framing option to the table that significantly reduces material cost and installation time plus it sets up a super preforming building envelope. The challenge, however, to retain affordability throughout the entire construction, lands on minimizing complexity and, quite frankly, plucking housing out of the custom build business model that is emulating commercial GC construction instead of master builder construction. Master builder, that is how houses used to be built.
Here is how we are minimizing complexity: we are pulling the Poche_Truss projects increasingly into manufactured components (of which the Poche_Truss is one) and using flat-pack (such as IKEA kitchens) and off-the-shelf build out options (such as lumber yard interior panels). We are not, however, reducing complexity by creating generic boxes. That is the beauty of the Poche_Truss, we can custom shape space and form at no upcharge.
Plucking housing out of the current residential GC business model, turns out, comes right along with those same minimizing strategies, for you see, they all align with a more direct connection to the provider. Eliminating the middle man markup is like farm to table food. There are not many of us architects and industry professionals still practicing who worked in the master builder world. We want to align providers directly to the work.
As I have shared in previous posts, thinking beyond a GC model of building has been a learning curve. But not one I will leave as I find it. For you see, my work has always answered to the highest calling of my profession: create beauty. And beauty is inherently equalizing, because when you have the craft persons doing what they specialize in, everyone is a master. We are working hard to learn our lessons on this first build with the Poche_Truss framing system and to assemble our team of masters. With a goal of putting modest affordable houses smack into the crosshairs of a Heck Yea! project, we are preparing to help people find their joy.
