Refining an Ethos: Matt Fajkus Architecture's Sarah Johnson on Strong Foundations, Early Risks, and the Pursuit of Challenge

By Julia Gamolina

Sarah Johnson is a principal architect at Matt Fajkus Architecture (MFA), where she has been with the practice since its inception 10 years ago. As principal architect, Sarah is instrumental in fostering the office’s collaborative culture, ensuring high quality, innovative design, and exceeding client expectations.

She is a registered architect and interior designer and has Bachelor's degrees in both civil engineering and architecture, as well as a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin. Sarah, along with her husband and daughter, are active members of the Austin arts community, enjoying and promoting the city’s unique music, dance, and architecture communities. In her interview, Sarah talks about growing up and growing with MFA, advising those starting their careers to take their risks early.

JG: How did you grow up, and how did your interest in architecture first develop? What did you learn about yourself in studying it?

SJ: I grew up in West Texas where the immense, flat horizon and expansive sky had more impact than the built environment. It was a blank canvas and something that I appreciate now after living in Austin, Texas, where we not only have a rich urban landscape, but also some variation in the topography. I realize there’s just no way to describe the vastness of West Texas, you must experience it for yourself!

While my surroundings didn’t have a direct impact on my decision to explore architecture, my father certainly did. He was a Civil Engineer, through and through. He loved the profession and embodied the attributes that contributed greatly to his career. While I personally had an interest in pursuing something creative, he saw those traits in me too and encouraged me to consider something that would allow me to utilize them. He suggested architecture and as I looked further into undergraduate programs, I realized quickly that it was something I could see myself really enjoying. While my dad was encouraged by my decision, he still also felt that I would make a good civil engineer and encouraged me to pursue that path of study in addition to architecture. I had a unique opportunity to combine these pursuits through a dual degree program at Texas Tech University.

Control Shift House by Matt Fajkus Architecture. Photography by Charles Davis Smith.

After starting the program, it became clear that our group of twenty students would quickly wean down – most would quickly realize that they were one or the other, not both Architect and Civil Engineer. I and about three others completed the program, and while it was very clear to me that I was passionate about architecture, I respected and appreciated my path through the engineering program. It was not easy and I faced some of my largest struggles in those classes, while the architectural courses came more naturally. The engineering process instilled in me something that impacts me just as much today in my role at Matt Fajkus Architecture as it did in my studies– diligence, the pursuit of challenges, and an appreciation for colleagues that offer different and valuable ways of thinking.

From this point, I focused on the pursuit of architecture and received my Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin.

How did you get your start in the field?

I had various internships while in school, including one in Austin, Texas with Lawrence Group Architects working under Earl Swisher, AIA, NCARB, where he took mentorship seriously and taught his team not only about design and how he thought about design, but also about the business of architecture. The business of architecture is something I’d never really considered before then, but now plays a huge role in my day to day.

“As a young, startup firm, we were still figuring out who we were and what our stance towards architecture and business should be...as we grew, so did our ethos...There were certainly growing pains and admittedly, mixed signals about who we were initially, who we were at the five-to-six-year mark and who we wanted to be in the future.”

— Sarah Johnson

How did you get to Matt Fajkus Architecture (MFA)?

As I was transitioning out of graduate school at the University of Texas, I was job searching, as most do. In the meantime, I had started doing contract work for a young, new professor, Matt Fajkus, who was navigating the pursuit of tenure and a few residential projects on the side. As most current students were turning his requests away due to final review preparation, I was available and eager. We worked across from one another at a single desk, in a small office, and he gave me as much leeway as I would take , something he has continued over the past ten years. We both thought this arrangement was short-term and while he had legally launched a practice, I’m not sure that he knew where it would go.

After working together for about three months, I received a job offer – what I had been waiting for – all the benefits, bells, and whistles that one hopes for right out of college. However, I came to realize, I was about to leave something that I really loved. I came to Matt with the news of another offer and asked if there was potential for continued work within his practice. I knew that he couldn’t match my other offer, but if he could give me some guarantee, more than the week-to-week basis we had been operating on thus far, I would be interested to continue working with him. He saw great potential in the firm, the work we were doing, and our ability to work together and he risked what was a lot at the time, committing three months to me. He was optimistic that it would turn into more, but that agreement was what he had to offer, and I took him up on it!

Wow! So you really grew the firm together.

Yes, from that moment, he believed in me and trusted me to help him craft a firm. Whether it was design work or decisions about running a business, the latter of which neither Matt nor I had experience in, it was one big design problem for us to work through and ultimately solve together. We created a strong bond and a strong foundation for what the firm is today.

The risk I took to stay with MFA when it was new, unstable, naïve, and unpredictable, was certainly one of the most significant milestones in my career to date. I was incredibly fortunate to have been able to do this and much appreciation goes to my husband for supporting me and encouraging me to pursue the avenue that was exciting and uncertain, but full of opportunity. Not everyone can do this, but I would encourage people to take this kind of risk if they can, especially early on in their career.

Main Stay House by Matt Fajkus Architecture. Photography by Charles Davis Smith.

Interlock House by Matt Fajkus Architecture. Photography by Charles Davis Smith.

Re-Open House by Matt Fajkus Architecture. Photography by Charles Davis Smith.

Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges? How did you manage through a disappointment or a perceived setback?

When I look back over the past ten years there have been many challenges, but Matt and I have handled them in stride and used each as an opportunity to grow and better our design skills and our business, better our methods, and to use them as a platform to move forward.

As a young, startup firm, we were still figuring out who we were and what our stance towards architecture and business should be. We had access and the privilege to work with many talented people over the course of our early years, but as we grew, so did our ethos – we defined the paths that we wanted to pursue and defined the way in which we wanted to pursue them. There were certainly growing pains and admittedly, mixed signals about who we were initially, who we were at the five-to-six-year mark and who we wanted to be in the future, which made it hard to have a team that was in sync and working towards our shared goals. We were fortunate to have staff that had been with us for long periods of time but within about a year’s period, many of them left to pursue other ventures, partly because they were young and wanted new experiences in their professional career, and partly because the ethos was unclear within the practice.

At that point, I had been in the position of Principal Architect for about a year, and it was an incredible challenge to power through this setback. It would have been easy to blame others or point fingers, but we tried to learn from the experience and better define who we wanted to be and how we wanted to work. I believed in Matt, his vision, and the work we were doing and never questioned wanting to be a part of that for myself. But I also understood that we needed to figure out what he and I were passionate about in our pursuit of architecture and communicate that effectively with others to find people who wanted to work in the same way.

“The moment where I found myself at a crossroads of deciding between stability and what I wanted was a very important point in my life and my career.”

— Sarah Johnson

Many things came, and are still coming, from this period but one I am most proud of is the team and culture we have fostered by taking the time to carefully communicate who we are and how we want to pursue architecture. We believe in a collaborative design process and try to support the best idea on the table, no matter who has it. We believe it takes a balance of confidence and humility to create the environment that we want for MFA and try to lead and operate this way ourselves. This effort has been challenging and presented moments of uncertainty, but at this point, it’s been well worth the effort!

Personally, another big challenge was stepping into the role of Principal Architect. It was a position that I felt I had already started to take on, but what I didn’t realize was that taking on that title for me would bring about a whole new sense of responsibility. I wanted to carry the burden for the people I was leading; taking the “hits” while giving them the space and ability to learn and grow. This was, after all, the environment that Matt provided for me, and I wanted to give that to others. At that time, I was also navigating becoming a new mother and balancing how to give my all at home and to my team at MFA. While I still struggle with this balance, Matt never questioned that I had the ability to do both and challenged me to trust the idea that I wouldn’t be successful at one despite the other, but because of the other. My husband values this example for our daughter and does all that he can to empower me in the pursuit of both passions. For both, I am grateful.

Who are you admiring right now and why?

I admire the people who are commissioning, designing, and building Architecture (with a capital A)! I don’t admire just any building, but there are many that honestly try to honor the endeavor of good design, even if not perfect. At MFA we strive to do work that is creatively rich but also for the people that choose to work with us. These are hard things to balance! I am fortunate to live in a city with an extremely rich architectural environment and admire the work of peers that produce this type of work. Sure, there are critiques and criticisms, and within our own work as well, but when you step back and speculate on all that they went through to achieve something thoughtful, simple, rich, and built, it truly is admirable.

I also admire our team! I see their struggles with design and implementation and appreciate them from a new perspective. I am amazed at how they creatively solve these problems, at every scale, and how the team can offer better ideas than I could on my own.

What is the impact you’d like to have on the world? What is your core mission?

I am focused on having a positive impact on those around me on a daily basis, and feel impact radiates from there. I’m focused on fostering an environment where people can grow and thrive and create work that is thoughtful, not only to us, as Architects, but also to the people they are designed for, and the environments they are designed within.

Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?

The moment where I found myself at a crossroads of deciding between stability and what I wanted was a very important point in my life and my career. There are certain times in one’s life when you’re more able to take on risk, or venture into the unknown, and my advice would be to do this when and while you can! Perhaps that direction won’t be where you spend the rest of your career, but it could be an incredible learning experience.

I think my best advice to women would be to find people to work with who value you and let you exercise your difference of opinion and skill, people who will support you, challenge you, and hold you accountable, and will trust your instincts as well as their own, trust your decisions, and see more in you than you do in yourself.