went to France to study painting, and in 2009 he won a fellowship to research earth construction techniques in developing countries in the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Over the course of his travels, he says he “witnessed the scope of the challenge humanity faces.” In 2013, Austin met Florian – who soon became a mentor to him – and they connected over their shared passion for not just design, but also construction. “I originally became interested in architecture by building things,” Austin explains. “I grew up in a family that built all our own houses. I started swinging a hammer at a very young age. My brother and I first started building things with scrap-wood from the dumpster. We built a lot of treehouses and different kinds of bike ramps and skate ramps. Then we started actual real construction – we extended our barn to build a bigger skate ramp. We basically got real framing and structural experience just playing around as kids.” When he got older, Austin briefly worked as a carpenter while attending school. He ultimately settled on a career in architecture, but he says the carpentry experience was “foundational”: “As I design things as an architect, I’m always thinking ‘So how is this thing going to be built?’ That’s a premise that I believe should really define the shape of the building.” According to Austin, Florian has a similar design belief, as well as a similar foundation in building – Florian and his wife built their Yukon cabin of hewn logs by hand, their second cabin with an Alaskan mill, their house in Whitehorse of conventional framing, and their house in Naramata with a glulam timberframe structure. At the same time, for both of f2a’s founders, construction always facilitates a vision for life, whether that’s a skateboard trick or a performance to be held in an assembly space. So MARCH 2022
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