Matt Fajkus describes going independent in 2010; the early practice team formed in spring 2011.
Independent editorial profile
Matt Fajkus Architecture
Austin
Established 2010
Architecture + interiors
Custom residential
Commercial + wellness
UT Austin research connection
An Austin architecture and interiors practice connecting built work with research in daylight, solar design, passive environmental strategies and building performance.
Best suited for: clients seeking design-led custom homes, additions, renovations, small commercial or wellness projects, especially where daylight, indoor–outdoor relationships, environmental performance and close architect–client–builder collaboration are central to the brief.
At a glance
The firm is listed by AIA Austin as an Austin-based midsize architecture practice.
Residential and commercial work ranging from houses and renovations to medical, wellness and workplace projects.
Founder and principal Matt Fajkus and principal architect Sarah Johnson lead the practice.
AIA/AAH, AIA Austin and SARA records support the practice’s award history.
Fajkus is a professor and faculty advisor for sustainable design at the School of Architecture.
Editorial overview
Research is most convincing when it becomes spatial experience
The firm’s strongest work does not present sustainability as a separate technical layer. Daylight, shade, cross-ventilation, views, material durability and indoor–outdoor movement are used to organize the architecture itself. The practice describes each project as client-, site- and function-driven rather than the application of a predetermined visual style.
Residential depth is supported by broader building-type experience
Filtered Frame Dock received an AIA Austin Design Award of Merit in 2023 and a SARA California Excellence Award in 2024. Vaulted House and Westlake Dermatology Georgetown received further SARA California recognition in 2025, while the earlier Westlake Dermatology Marble Falls project holds a national AIA/AAH Healthcare Design Award.
Public design evidence is stronger than business and fee information
Project pages and award records are extensive, but fee ranges, current workload, construction-phase scope and project minimums are not published. Public pages also show two different Austin street addresses; this profile therefore lists the city only until the office address is reconciled. Portfolio and award totals remain unverified counts.
Ranking placements — 2026
#2
Texas Residential Architects
High placement for a substantial custom-home portfolio supported by research, publication and repeated professional recognition.
#5Best Residential Architects in Austin
Recognized for research-led homes, daylighting, urban infill and a strong connection between practice and architectural education.
#6Sustainability & Performance
Evidence includes passive daylighting, solar-design research, Austin Energy Green Building recognition and wellness-oriented commercial work.
#3Research & Innovation
The UT Austin connection, teaching, publications and built experiments in light and environmental modulation support this position.
Selected projects
These projects illustrate the range used in the editorial assessment. Project imagery will be added only after rights clearance.
Vaulted House
A compact urban house organized around a side yard, controlled daylight, cross-ventilation and vaulted upper-level spaces. Its 5-Star Austin Energy Green Building rating provides a useful built-performance marker alongside 2025 professional recognition.
View official project page →Descendant House
A steep-site residence accommodating three generations through distinct but connected program zones. The project demonstrates the practice’s ability to translate complex family needs, topography and landscape relationships into a clear architectural system.
View official project page →Filtered Frame Dock
A calibrated steel-and-wood structure designed to balance sun, shade, breeze and views across the seasons. It is the clearest built example of the practice’s research language becoming a precise environmental instrument.
View official project page →Westlake Dermatology Marble Falls
A concrete-and-glass medical pavilion using landscape, daylight and framed views to create a non-institutional patient experience. The 2019 AIA/AAH Healthcare Design Award is the practice’s strongest national project-level evidence.
View official project page →Evidence ledger
Evidence grades describe source independence, not architectural quality. Grade C entries can still be useful, but they are not weighted as heavily as independent professional or institutional records.
| Claim | Grade | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIA/AAH Healthcare Design Award, 2019 — Westlake Dermatology Marble Falls | A | AIA Academy of Architecture for Health | Jul. 26, 2026 |
| AIA Austin Design Award of Merit, 2023 — Filtered Frame Dock | B | AIA Austin | Jul. 26, 2026 |
| SARA California Design Awards, 2024 — one Excellence Award and four Merit Awards | B | SARA California Council | Jul. 26, 2026 |
| SARA California Honor Awards, 2025 — Westlake Dermatology Georgetown and Vaulted House | B | SARA California Council | Jul. 26, 2026 |
| Matt Fajkus is a UT Austin professor and faculty advisor for sustainable design | B | UT Austin School of Architecture | Jul. 26, 2026 |
| Architectural Science and the Sun, co-authored by Matt Fajkus and Dason Whitsett, published by Routledge in 2018 | B | UT Austin faculty record | Jul. 26, 2026 |
| Austin-based midsize architecture and interiors practice with residential and commercial areas of work | B | AIA Austin firm profile | Jul. 26, 2026 |
| Matt Fajkus went independent in 2010 and established MF Architecture | C | Founder biography | Jul. 26, 2026 |
| Sarah Johnson is principal architect and has been with the practice since its inception in spring 2011 | C | Firm biography | Jul. 26, 2026 |
| 100 completed residential and commercial buildings and more than 40 design awards | C | UT Austin faculty profile citing practice totals | Jul. 26, 2026 |
Read the full evidence-grade definitions
Grade A means a claim is supported by an independent national record or official registry. Grade B means it is supported by a professional jury, public institution or recognized academic record. Grade C means it was reported by the firm or reflects a total that has not been independently audited. View the evidence standards.
Practice information
Leadership
Matt Fajkus, AIA, NCARB, RID, LEED AP, is founder and principal architect. Sarah Johnson, AIA, RID, is principal architect and leads project delivery from concept through construction. The current firm roster also includes senior architects Ingrid Gonzalez Featherston and Tony Marco.
Licensure and registration
Registration review in progress. AIA Austin describes the practice as licensed and lists registered architects, but the business-registration record is still being checked directly against the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners registry. Registration confirms legal standing to practice and is not an editorial endorsement.
Services and specialties
Custom HomesLuxury ResidentialInterior ArchitectureCommercial ArchitectureHealthcare & WellnessRenovation & Adaptive Reuse
Considering Matt Fajkus Architecture for a project?
Review the practice’s official portfolio or submit a project brief to compare firms with documented experience relevant to your site, project type, environmental goals, interior-design needs and desired level of architect involvement during construction.
Introductions and referral inquiries do not affect ranking positions or evidence grades.
Related research and rankings
Profile changelog
- Profile structure, leadership, selected projects, evidence ledger and client guidance revised. Sources rechecked; edition evidence cutoff remains July 13, 2026.
- Initial editorial profile and ranking placements recorded.