Category: outside the studio

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The Snug

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!!

You: ….  =  “build it & they will come!”

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Outside the Studio: what about affordability?

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.