Unconventional Texas home by Matt Fajkus Architecture
Located in Austin, Texas, this unconventional home was designed by Matt Fajkus Architecture for a pair of former race car drivers who collect vintage cars. The building encompasses a total floorspace of 4,088 sq ft (379 sq m), largely taken up by the garage, which is used for the repair and display of the cars.
Appropriately named Autohaus, the residence features “compact living quarters, expressed as a single mass, floating above an open area for flexible gathering and automobile calibration/display.”
“The second-floor volume is shifted forward to allow for double-height views to the garage space at the back while creating an everyday carport beneath the hovering bedchamber in the front. The twenty-foot cantilever is made possible by W30x116 steel beams, and a light-filled stairwell provides physical access between the two volumes,” explained the architects.
Inside, the one-bedroom home has a straightforward layout. The house features an open-plan kitchen and living area, a master suite and a home office. A large rooftop terrace surrounded by tree canopies provides space for relaxing and entertaining.
“Custom-made steel and glass sliding doors open the living space to a large roof terrace surrounded by tree canopies, enabling indoor/outdoor living in an urban setting,” said the architects.
The architecture firm worked with the general contractor, Risinger Homes, to design, fabricate, and install the large custom steel doors and windows.
“The doors and windows were built in-house on the ground floor before their installation in its floating living quarters. This process allowed for greater quality control, high-end craftsmanship, full customization, and immediate installation, to produce a structure for a unique function and equally unique living experience,” the architects concluded.
Photography by: Charles Davis Smith, Perfecto Creative, Casey Woods & MF Architecture
