Austin is a Project Architect at Rowell Brokaw Architects and came to architecture through his work on the facilities end of aquatic research laboratories at the University of Oregon. He is currently the Facility Project Coordinator for the Zebrafish International Resource Center where he oversees renovation and maintenance projects. Throughout the past decade, as the Resource Center has continued to grow and serve a larger international research community, the needs of the facility have begun to change as well. Austin has led several major renovations at the Resource Center, including a complete upgrade to their quarantine facility and a 3-fold expansion of their cryogenic infrastructure. He has also helped identify and address major flaws in the original enclosure design of the aquatic rooms.

Outside of his involvement in aquatics, Austin was a member of the Crescent Village Mixed-Use Development team and the LEED project manager for two Crescent Village LEED certified projects — the Inkwell Building, which earned LEED Gold certification, and the Arlie & Company Corporate Offices, which earned Platinum Certification for Office Interiors.

Austin’s broader professional interests lie in confronting the unique challenges that complex building types present to the designer in a society that is continuing to demand much more from buildings that have much less impact to their surroundings. His interests in ecological design and an improved building model lend themselves well to the contemporary Northwest building climate.

Austin is currently working on several projects at the University of Oregon including the Huestis Zebrafish Facility Expansion.

Austin received his undergraduate degree in Biology and graduate architectural education at the University of Oregon. He has continued to address the specific issues of aquatic research facility design in various recent publications and speaking engagements throughout the United States.