Post by Architectural Record

Design Vanguard 2026: ONO ⁠ Step into the small, high-ceilinged home of the architectural firm ONO, off a narrow nondescript alley in San Francisco’s South of Market district, and the largest enclosed workspace holds such tools as a table saw, planer, and belt sander. The practice is well-accustomed to producing building models—not 3D simulacra, but the old-school wooden and foam ones assembled by hand. “We have two full-time model-makers,” says Max Obata, 39, who started the firm with Tyler Noblin, 41, in 2020. “Everything these days is keyed to AI and computer renderings, but we see so much value in analog thinking.”⁠ ⁠ The room and its function embody the approach of the firm and its founders, who met at the San Francisco office of Snøhetta in 2014 and gradually realized that they both wanted to be “architects at a holistic level,” in Obata’s words—mastering every aspect of the craft, its discourse, and even such mundane necessities as invoices and billing. This set the stage for a healthy portfolio of modestly sized projects, from office interior remodels and bespoke backyard cottages to an unexpectedly elegant fishing hut below California’s Mount Shasta.⁠ ⁠ Read more about this 2026 Vanguard: https://brnw.ch/21x3eWt Words by John King⁠ (1) Crane Cove; Photo © Bruce Damonte (6) Model of a home in Colorado; Photo © ONO⁠ (7) Two Fold; Photo © Ethan Gordon (8) Dusk House; Image © BSArq ⁠ Max Obata, Tyler Noblin, OBATA NOBLIN OFFICE