The ones that got away - Part 1

This is the first chapter of the series ‘The Ones That Got Away’, where we share unpublished sketches and renderings by AOME, along with reflections on the architect’s craft and the challenges of turning ideas into built form.

The architect’s role as a maker is often overlooked. The common image of the profession tends to focus on the early stages: pencil in hand, sketching ideas, shaping spaces on paper or screen, as if our work begins and ends at the drafting table.

But while the ability to precisely envision and sketch something that doesn’t yet exist is essential to the role, architecture ultimately unfolds in the real world. Before we even pick up a pencil, we step into the physical space where the construction will take place. Rather than being a limitation, the material conditions fuel our imagination. But our joy isn’t just in shaping possibilities, we yearn to see them materialize.

Part of this profession is accepting that some ideas never make it to reality. A project might not break ground for reasons that often have nothing to do with the design itself. When that happens, it feels like playing only half the game. A crucial part of being an architect -our maker side- never gets to step on the field. And yet, to do what we do, we have to keep the belief alive that the game will be played in full. Without that conviction, it would be hard to take on any project at all.

This client had a modernist home with poor design and widespread leaks. Since we had to remove all the exterior finishes to repair the mold damage, we saw an opportunity to rethink the house in a more traditional style, as envisioned by the owners. We went through the exercise of transforming it with just a few small additions while keeping the the basic space plan and original house foundations.

The same home’s entry façade was to be all in the same location but utterly transformed by recladding the exterior.

At AOME, we don’t design for anonymity. We design for people we know, whose aspirations we strive to reflect in every detail. Our work is only complete when a house is lived in, when the family who envisioned it finally calls it home.

A former master bedroom was to be transformed into her spa master bath space for leisurely preparing to go out for the day

Today, we’re sharing some of our ‘unbuilt’ homes — the ones that got away! Ideas we labored over, grew attached to, and, in most cases, so did the people they were meant for. Homes that could have only existed in a specific place and time. But they didn’t make it. We bring them out to, somehow, breathe life into them and as a reminder of our core belief: “Architecture isn’t architecture until it’s built.”

There are many reasons why a home might remain unbuilt — something we’ll explore in our next chapter. Stay tuned for updates!