Matt Fajkus Architecture

Profile

Matt Fajkus Architecture (MF Architecture) is an award-winning and licensed architecture office that welcomes residential and commercial projects of various scales and budgets. The practice offers competitive design fees without compromising design quality and the body of work seeks simple and holistic solutions to complex problems by blending expertise and experimentation.

Full-service Practice + Academic Think Tank. MF Architecture is led by Matt Fajkus, AIA, who is also a Tenure-Track Professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. As a young and energetic collaborative, the firm is simultaneously an academic think tank, directly connected to theoretical and technological research at UT, while practicing as an office deeply focused on realizing exceptional buildings.

Nature, People and Buildings Cohabitation. The design work of MF Architecture is based on the belief that each project is unique, as it should be driven by the client, the site and its surroundings, satisfying the rights of all inhabitants while fulfilling functional requirements with individuality, rather than being a singular, preconceived aesthetic.

Adaptable Spaces with Sustainable Strategies. The firm possesses advanced knowledge in sustainable design principles, and the office is driven by the optimism that we live in an ideal time to affect positive change locally and globally, all accomplished through intelligent design. Adaptable spaces accommodating the present and the future are achieved by flexible plan layouts, indoor and outdoor flows, and energy-efficient methods including passive daylighting, natural ventilation, and intelligent material choices, compositions and detailing.

Unexpected Elements from Everyday Objects. The team has a passion rooted in expanding the conventional reach and impact of architecture among the general public and within popular culture. Everyday objects are often taken as inspiration for their simplicity but unlimited potentials and relevance to create extraordinary and functional architectural elements.

Open and Collaborative Design Process. MF Architecture promotes a transparent design process including a direct collaboration with client and builder. Likewise, the office fosters honesty and functionality in design itself, with a belief in balancing restraint and expression in broad design moves as well as details. The team enthusiastically takes on the unique challenges presented by each project to inspire highly creative, cost-effective solutions meant to enhance building performance and daily life as a whole.


Biography

Matt Fajkus, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP
Principal Architect
Licensed Architect in Texas
Tenure-Track Professor, University of Texas Austin School of Architecture
Master in Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design

A native of Austin, Matt Fajkus holds a Master in Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he completed his thesis work with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rafael Moneo. Before going independent in 2010 and establishing MF Architecture, Fajkus achieved significant experience in architectural practice. While working for the world-renowned firm Foster + Partners in London for several years, he worked on the design of numerous high-profile, international large-scale projects.

Starting at firms in 1998, he also worked on numerous small-scale award-winning projects while with Max Levy Architects in Dallas, Brinkley Sargent Architects, and Julie Snow Architects in Minneapolis. In 2012, Fajkus was awarded two AIA National Emerging Professional Awards. In addition to leading MF Architecture, Fajkus is a Tenure-Track Professor at The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, where he teaches courses in design, technology, daylighting and integrated sustainability.

In 2013 he was recognized with the University of Texas System Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award - the highest teaching honor awarded by the entire school system. Additionally in 2013, Fajkus was presented with the Faculty Scholarship Award for Innovative Practice, and the ACSA/AIAS National New Faculty Teaching Award in 2012. Fajkus is a LEED Accredited Professional and a licensed architect in the State of Texas, whose work and writings have been featured in Dwell, Architectural Record, Texas Architect, Tribeza Magazine,Metropolitan Home and National Public Radio, among others.

Sarah Johnson
Licensed Architect in Texas
Senior Design Architect & Project Manager
Master of Architecture, University of Texas Austin
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Texas Tech University
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Texas Tech University

Sarah has been a designer and project manager with MF Architecture since its inception in the Spring of 2011. Sarah grew up in West Texas and studied at Texas Tech University where she received degrees in Architecture and Civil Engineering. She joined Matt after completing her Master of Architecture at the University of Texas in 2010. Previously, she's worked with Lawrence Group Architects in Austin where she gained experience with various project types and sizes ranging from the new UT College of Communications/KUT Studios to smaller City of Austin projects.

Sarah believes that architecture is most powerful when it directly and simply responds to the needs of the client and the site. Each project presents a unique opportunity to answer a new set of questions and requirements. For her, the exciting and fulfilling part of being a designer is in generating a concept that yields a broad, overall expression which also reveals that original thought in a variety of nuanced moments. Her role in both design and execution on the “Main Stay House”, "Control/Shift House" and "Porous by Nature" projects are examples of this method and approach in design.

The highly collaborative environment at MF Architecture greatly influences and fosters this philosophy in her work and continues to provide a fertile ground for testing ideas and methods of design. In Sarah's time away from the office she enjoys living life in Austin with her husband Jason. With backgrounds in dance and music respectively, they enjoy the music, art, and culture communities that Austin has to offer.

David Birt
Licensed Architect in Texas
Principal Architect
Master of Architecture, UT Arlington
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, UT Arlington

David is a native of Austin and joined MF Architecture early in 2013. He previously held the position of Project Architect since 2007 at the award-winning office of Furman + Keil in Austin, focusing on high-end residential and small-scale commercial design. David also has previous professional experience with BECK, workarchitecture, and the office of Sharon Odum in Dallas, with varying project types ranging between residential, multi-family, religious, and commercial architecture.

David is active in the Austin community, volunteering regularly with Meals on Wheels, Hope Street, and Texas Reach Out. He believes in efficient, clever, and inspirational architectural design which responsibly negotiates realities such as budget, building technology, and client needs. As a testament to his belief in the utility of efficient design, David lives with his wife and children in a 1,000 square-foot house in east Austin which he designed.

Jayson Kabala, AIA
Design Architect & Project Manager
Master of Architecture, UT Arlington
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, UT Arlington

Jayson was born in Southwestern Pennsylvania and moved to Texas at the age of 10. He attended the University of Texas at Arlington, receiving a Master's Degree in Architecture. With over 10 years of professional experience, Jayson worked for Hillier-Dallas and Damian Farrell Design Group in Ann Arbor Michigan before joining The Beck Group in 2005, where he was an Associate.

His design experience consists of projects in Texas, the US, and abroad, including mid and hi-rise office buildings, retail developments, large church campuses (both worship centers & education buildings), and cultural projects. Jayson has been a registered Architect since 2009 and is both a member of the AIA and a LEED accredited professional. In 2009 he was a part of the inaugural Emerging Leaders Program with the Dallas AIA in which selected firms nominated their top young employees to participate. At MF, Jayson is a Design Architect leading the realization of commercial and residential projects and overseeing their construction.

Alberto Rodriguez
Design Associate & Project Manager
Master of Architecture, UT Austin
Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, University of New Mexico

Alberto was raised in the heart of an agricultural community fed by the Rio Grande River in southern New Mexico. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of New Mexico in 2007, where he developed interests in sustainable design and installation art. From 2007-2009, Alberto worked for Dekker/Perich/Sabatini Architects in Albuquerque where he designed and collaborated on many Mixed-Use, Commercial, Multifamily and Affordable housing projects.

In 2009, Alberto moved to Austin to pursue a Master’s degree in Architecture at the University of Texas. While at UT, Alberto explored ideas of resilience theory and experimented with digital fabrication. In 2011, Alberto accepted an internship with Lake | Flato Architects where he immersed himself in the important relationship between buildings and the landscape they inhabit.

Alberto’s interest in installation art has led him to collaborate with Margo Sawyer, an Artist and Professor of Sculpture at The University of Texas, who has designed and produced installations throughout the country. Alberto joined Matt Fajkus Architecture in August 2013 where he draws from his previous experiences to create innovative design solutions that are responsive to site, context, and climatic conditions in order to enhance the human experience.

Ian M. Ellis, Assoc. AIA
Design Associate & Project Manager / Public Relations
Bachelor of Architecture, UT Austin

Ian was born in Sāo Paulo, Brazil and later moved to Austin, Texas to pursue his education in architecture. He is equally fascinated by the psychological implications of architecture as well as the importance of environment, systems, experience, and psychologically involved design. Ian's research and work have been internationally published, exhibited and awarded, including articles in ArchDaily, Business Insider, Gizmodo, exhibitions at The Garden Museum in London, Council for Educational Facility Planners International Conference, AIA Emerging Professionals National Conference in Washington, DC, and awards for his research regarding a school for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder on North Brother Island in New York City (with Frances Peterson, MLA) and the redevelopment of London's Victoria Station in England (with Nelly Fuentes, MLA, MSUD).

Since early 2014, Ian has presented his research to, and consulted with, various architects, engineers, public agencies, and school bodies in Texas, New York, New Jersey, and Cyprus. The intent is to develop evidence-based design standards to improve architectural and designed landscape environments in order for more beneficial spaces to exist in addressing Autism Spectrum Disorder. He volunteers and serves as an Advisory Board Member for Magic Always Happens, a multi-disciplinary non-profit organization focused on research, testing, and implementation of innovative design regarding mental health at an international scale.

While at The University of Texas, Ian was honored in the 2013 AIA National Emerging Professional exhibition, was a Teaching Assistant/Supplemental Instructor, contributed 14 projects to National Architectural and Landscape Architectural Accreditation Boards, and presented research and work at the VOICE Forum and at the Environmental Science Institute's Hot Science:Cool Talks. He presently serves as a guest critic at UT's School of Architecture and on the Digital Communications Committee for Texas Society of Architect's Texas Architect magazine.

Anna Katsios, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP
Design Associate & Project Manager
Master of Architecture, Emphasis in Sustainable Design, UT Austin
Honors Bachelor of Architectural Studies, University of Waterloo, Canada

Anna comes to MF Architecture from the Great White North of London, Ontario, where she was born and raised. Before moving south to Austin to pursue her Master of Architecture from the University of Texas she studied at the University of Waterloo where she received her Bachelor's degree in Architectural Studies. Through her experience with Waterloo's cooperative education program, she developed her professional skills, working in firms in Toronto, Edmonton, Vienna, and San Francisco. This diversity of geographic and climatic work environments sparked her interest in site specific, regional design, allowing her to pursue these ideas more critically and intensively.

She believes that design specific to its site has the power to be transformative, to be a catalyst for social change. Her design is tightly bound to place, influencing and influenced by the stories of people, time and the surrounding environment. When not in the office, Anna is often found traveling, whether exploring abroad or hiking the greenbelt, camera in row. A second generation immigrant of Greek heritage, she is a native Greek speaker and also speaks French and German, while currently pursuing a fifth language in Spanish. She is recently engaged to a dapper young southern gent from Tennessee, and has two cats named Zuko and Azula.

Sarah Wassel
Design Associate & Project Manager
Master of Architecture, UT Austin
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, University of Maryland

Sarah joined MF Architecture after completing her Master of Architecture at the University of Texas in 2015. Her studies at UT helped foster an interest in architecture as a product of context that is both physical and cultural. Participating in programs like the Public Interest Design summer studio offered her the opportunity to engage directly with the design’s users as well as the physical process of making, both of which are critical themes in her work.

This focus stems further back to Washington D.C., where she spent a few formative years living and working after graduating from University of Maryland with a BS in Architecture. Today, she is equally as interested in cultivating skills like woodworking as she is in finding ways for design to be an agent of positive social change. As her work continues to evolve, she remains committed to carefully considering the unique needs of each site, each client, and how to respond to those within a unified architectural expression. At MF Architecture, she has been able to pursue these ideas as a designer and project manager on several residential projects.

When she’s not designing, Sarah can be found outside. Having grown up in Maryland she’s no stranger to hot summers, but the lack of snowy winters is continuously appealing. Whether it’s playing soccer, chasing her dog, or trying a new restaurant with her partner, she’s always taking advantage of the gorgeous Austin weather.

Andres Moguel
Design Associate & Project Manager
Master of Architecture, University of South Florida

Andres made his way to MF Architecture from sunny Tampa, Florida where he attended the University of South Florida’s School of Architecture + Community Design. While studying at the University of South Florida, he was able to pursue studies in Amsterdam exploring uniquely geographical Dutch design and reapplying solutions to similarly urban and geographically low-lying contexts in central Florida. He also participated in an urban design, studio-based workshop/documentary surrounding the redevelopment of the coastal “ghost town” of Varosha, a city along Cyprus’ eastern coast left abandoned since the Cypriot conflicts of 1974.

Along with these experiences, Andres was awarded both the Floy Damon Award for excellence in Architectural History and Theory and the 2015 Thesis Prize for excellence in design research and execution throughout the Terminal Master’s Project. After completing his degree at the University of South Florida, Andres spent six months working at Olson Kundig in Seattle, WA before making the move to Austin.

Time spent in academia and practice have allowed Andres the opportunity to pursue his architectural interest in highly process-driven architecture. Through the exploration of the intimate relationships that shape our spatial, contextual, and geographical notions and define how we interact with our environments, Andres believes architecture can begin to impact the culture of how we live and perceive our natural and built environment. He believes that well designed architecture should explore the uniquely playful and innovative spatial thinking and making that can begin to re-contextualize the place of architecture in modern society.

Yidan Wang
Public Relations & Design Associate
Master of Marketing, Queen Mary, University of London, United Kingdom
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Ryerson University, Canada

Yidan holds degrees in both Architecture and Marketing and has extensive working and living experience across North America, Europe and Asia. After graduating with a Bachelor degree in Architecture at Ryerson University in Toronto, she worked as an Architectural Designer and Project Coordinator at a couple of practices including four years at Reich+Petch Architects/Design International with key projects in Canada and the United States, both residential and commercial.

Equally passionate about the business side of Architecture and Design, she moved to London, England in 2009 to obtain a Master degree in Marketing and worked as a Marketing Manager for several IT-focused real estate startups, where she helped expand their business and build their brands.
In the summer of 2015, Yidan moved to Austin from London and joined Matt Fajkus Architecture, utilizing her unique skill set and experience.

Additionally, Yidan created and published her own magazine Atti'quete - a digital lifestyle magazine focused on architecture, arts, design, photography, travel and films. The magazine was accredited a press pass at Cannes Film Festival.