AutoHaus

Project Details

Project Description

The Autohaus is a car collectors’ garage and residence in central Texas. The design 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 bed chamber 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. Custom-made steel and glass sliding doors open up the living space to a large roof terrace surrounded by tree canopies, enabling indoor/outdoor living in an urban setting.

A collaborative design and construction process was key to the project. The Matt Fajkus Architecture team worked with the general contractor, Risinger Homes, to design, fabricate, and install the large custom steel doors and windows. A makeshift steel fabrication and paint shop was temporarily set up inside the house’s garage during construction. 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 Opportunity

The architect and builder of Auto Haus utilized the Bautex Wall System to help meet a broad set of owner requirements for their hybrid residence and collector’s garage.

Architect Matt Fajkus and builder Matt Risinger collaborated on Auto Haus to create a unique living space and garage for a car collector moving to Austin. In designing this new home, the 15-car garage was a key element of the overall design. The design team created a unique hybrid structure that seamlessly and efficiently integrates the residence and garage spaces.

Key Design Features

There were a number of important requirements for this project. First and foremost was the need for a high level of security. The walls also needed a high fire rating to protect the structure and adjoining residence from internal fires that could be caused by the cars themselves.
In order to protect the valuable cars from the aging effects of the Texas climate, the space had to be conditioned and the walls had to meet latest code requirements for continuous insulation and be energy efficient.
As the cars are washed on a regular basis the walls also need to be able to withstand being sprayed with water on a regular basis. They wanted a wall that was totally impervious to moisture damage from interior to exterior.
Another important element when protecting cars is the ability to control the humidity as well as the temperature in the space. If it’s too dry, it can prematurely age many of the expensive parts of the cars. If it is to damp, too much humidity can also damage the cars.

Conclusion

In order to meet all these important requirements, the architect and the builder decided to use the innovative Bautex Wall System. The Bautex Wall System met all of the owner's’ needs for security, safety, moisture resistance, ability to control the temperature and humidity and energy efficiency - all in one integrated wall assembly. Because it is a composite system, Bautex Block also saved on construction time and simplified the overall design and construction of the building.
For more information on this project, or a unique write up, please visit Bautex Auto Haus or contact Paul Brown, [email protected]