ARCHITECTURE
Project Details
Architect: Matt Fajkus Architecture
Location: Austin, TX | Completed 2017
Photographer: Charles Davis Smith | Casey Woods
In Austin, Autohaus begins with a different point of view.
Designed for former race car drivers, the project places the garage at the center of the home, not as an addition, but as the foundation. Living spaces sit above an active workspace, bringing cars, tools, and mechanical work into daily view.
The Garage as the Foundation of the Home
For the owners, cars are central to daily life, to identity, and to a broader mission of teaching automotive restoration skills to disadvantaged youth. Autohaus was conceived to support that blend. It is a home that can flex between domestic retreat, collaborative workspace, and gathering place without privileging one over the other.
The structure is organized to clearly connect home and garage. Living spaces sit directly above the open garage, maintaining a constant visual connection between the two, similar to the Garage House in Singapore. The upper level projects forward, opening the garage vertically at the rear while forming a covered carport beneath the bedroom at the front.
Nothing is hidden. The vintage car collection is openly displayed and actively used as part of everyday life, just like other garages designed to be seen from various rooms within the house.
A Garage Built for Car Collection and Use
The garage is designed to support an active car collection, where vehicles are not just stored but regularly used, worked on, and experienced as part of daily life. Material and structural decisions reinforce that intent. Lightweight insulated concrete composite blocks create a durable, tightly sealed enclosure, resulting in a garage with clean air and a stable interior environment. It’s a space designed to spend time in, not just pass through or park a car.
The level of detail and craftsmanship reflects a close collaboration between architect and builder. Custom steel doors and windows were fabricated on site with Risinger & Co, allowing precise control over proportion and performance. The process mirrors the work happening inside the garage. Hands-on. Iterative. Exact.
Living Above the Garage
Despite its industrial underpinnings, the house maintains a strong connection to its surroundings.
Daylight moves through the space, views extend into the surrounding tree canopy, and openings allow for fresh air and cross-ventilation, creating a garage that can be fully opened and used as an active workspace when conditions allow. The result is a space that feels open and livable without losing its purpose.
Designed to Evolve
Flexibility is inherent in the project’s design.
A future one-bedroom residence can be integrated within the garage, allowing the home to adapt over time as needs change. The structure is not fixed to a single use, but designed to evolve alongside its occupants.
At Autohaus, the garage is not secondary, nor is it hidden. It’s a home where machines and humans coexist without hierarchy, and where the garage is the heart of the architecture itself.
Austin, TX 78702
United States
www.mfarchitecture.com/
