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Who we are
ONO is an architecture and design practice based in San Francisco.
![Two architects from Obata Noblin Office [ONO] looking at a wall of project images.](https://ono.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSCF3403_temp.jpg "ONO project image Wall")
What we do
Our buildings embrace simple forms but are realized through rigorous inquiry, conceptualization, iteration, and thoughtful detailing.
With an appreciation for place and cultural identity, we share a determined optimism for the potential of the built environment.
With an appreciation for place and cultural identity, we share a determined optimism for the potential of the built environment.
Our Approach
Each project departs from collaborative conversation and shared ambitions. A precise methodology and thorough research allow us to convey the passage of time within architecture; we aim to preserve historical fabric and define new future possibilities for spaces.
Discovery
Our design process starts with a thorough site investigation and a review of the environmental conditions. We engage deeply with clients to grasp their needs and desires, which guide our design direction.
Prototype
Through sketches, renderings, collages, and handcrafted scale models, we engage our clients in exploring a broad spectrum of design possibilities. Each design iteration is thoughtfully developed, ensuring our clients are actively involved and expertly navigated through the prototyping process.
Definition
We help our clients define all aspects of their project, including budget, permitting, design, and construction. Our experience in diverse environments—from mountaintops to waterfronts, forests, and historic urban centers—enables us to accurately assess the scope and feasibility of projects, whether for new construction or adaptive reuse.
Build
We coordinate with contractors and observe construction to ensure our designs meet the highest standards of quality and functionality. Our deep understanding of building culture and techniques, as well as our close collaboration with building consultants, enables us to create timeless spaces that integrate seamlessly with their environments.
Analyze
For us, a project’s success hinges on client satisfaction. We take pride in maintaining contact with our clients after project completion to ensure an outcome that not only meets our standards but also fulfills their expectations.
Our team
We approach buildings and people alike—with integrity, transparency, and playfulness.
Partners
Tyler Noblin and Max Obata founded ONO in 2020 from a tiny office space in San Francisco. Our studio environment has grown into a bustling workplace filled with plants, models, and music – fostering an energetic atmosphere for creating. This dynamic setting enables us to generate boundless ideas and expand beyond set notions of design.
Max Obata
Max is from St. Louis, Missouri. He earned his B.A. in Art & Architectural History from Middlebury College and his Master of Architecture (M.Arch) from the University of Michigan where he was awarded the Thesis Prize. For his Master's thesis, Max constructed numerous basswood models to explore how architecture can effortlessly transition between scales, from objects to furniture to buildings.
Max previously worked at Snøhetta, Fumihiko Maki + Associates, LAMAS, SAW, HOK and Architecture for Humanity
Max previously worked at Snøhetta, Fumihiko Maki + Associates, LAMAS, SAW, HOK and Architecture for Humanity
Tyler Noblin
Tyler is from Pensacola, Florida. He earned a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Architecture (M. Arch) from the University of Texas at Austin. Currently, Tyler is a lecturer at Stanford University, where he teaches undergraduate students interested in pursuing architecture.
Tyler has previously worked at Snohetta in San Francisco, AlterStudio in Austin, Herzog & de Meuron in Basel and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill in Chicago.
Tyler has previously worked at Snohetta in San Francisco, AlterStudio in Austin, Herzog & de Meuron in Basel and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill in Chicago.
Kati Albee
Kati is from St. Joseph, Michigan. She earned her B.S. in Architecture from the University of Michigan and her M.Arch from the University of California Berkeley. Her Master's thesis explored opportunities to activate underutilized public spaces. She proposed transforming a series of six rooftops in San Francisco's Financial District into immersive, uncanny landscapes in the sky.
Hilary Kusuma
Hilary is from Jakarta, Indonesia. She received her B.Arch from California Polytechnic University, Pomona. For her undergraduate thesis, Hilary investigated "in-between voids" - the juxtaposition between form, structure and systems that informs experimentation and spontaneous interactions between people.
Ian Galang
Ian is from Sunnyvale, California. He received his B.Arch from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. For his undergraduate thesis, he dove into Los Angeles' creative community and the idea of 'third spaces' to create a vibrant gathering and working space in the heart of the Arts District.
Ethan Lee
Ethan is from San Francisco, California. He holds a dual Bachelor's degree, a B.A. in Studio Art and a B.S. in Engineering from Swarthmore College, as well as an M.Arch from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. For his Master's thesis, Ethan proposed two residential buildings that demonstrate a new attitude towards a transforming Chinatown - one that prioritizes the residents and workers while respecting the connection between past and future, shifting the architectural focus from ornamentation to human activity.
Julie Perrone
Julie is from San Jose, California. She received her B.A. in Architectural Studies and French Language from Tufts University and her M. Arch from Columbia University.
Olivia Vercruysse
Olivia is from Portola Valley, California. She received her B.Arch from Tulane University. For her undergraduate thesis, Olivia imagined the forest and the built environment as a unified system to support mass timber as a catalyst for economic recovery and environmental healing in former timber towns.
David Shaw
David is from Boston, Massachusetts. He received his B.A in architecture studies from Harvard College with a minor in economics. For his undergraduate thesis, he examined the future of the parking garage as a building type with a projected obsolescence. He proposed the conversion of an existing garage in Cambridge into a mixed use public good, including a new preschool and expansion of an adjacent library.
Hannah Werthman
Hannah is from Murphys, California. She earned her B.S. in Urban Planning and Community Development and a Master of Public Administration from Portland State University. For her Masters thesis, she explored the intersection of public civic engagement initiatives and the private design sector. Her project engaged local artists and designers to support the creation of art and other printed materials to educate the public on the role of local government and the impact of voting in local elections.
Sebastian Karreth de Miguel
Sebastian is from Munich, Germany. He received his B.A. in Architecture with a Minor in City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. During his undergraduate studies, he was awarded the Judith Lee Stronach Undergraduate Traveling Scholarship, which took him across Europe and the Middle East to document the architecture of refugee camps.
Vinati Kokal
Vinati is from Mumbai, India. She received her B.A in Architectural Studies from the University of Toronto with a minor in Visual Studies. For her undergraduate thesis, Vinati explored the relationship between landscape architecture and colonialism, with a focus on unearthing the Tea Plantations of British India as territories of exploitation and conflict. She is currently in her last year of the M-Arch Program at RICE University in Houston, Texas, working on a thesis that re-imagines San Francisco's Sutro Baths as an eco-cultural zone within the city.
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