TRIBEZA Curators

Michael Hsu’s Guide to Austin

By Tribeza Staff
September 15, 2025

Michael Hsu, FAIA, IIDA, is the founder and principal of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, an architecture and interior design firm formed in 2025. Hsu has shaped Austin’s landscape through thoughtful, intentional design. His practice is rooted in hospitality and spans mixed-use developments, adaptive reuse, public realm design, homes, hotels, restaurants, retail, workspaces and bespoke furniture and branding. His work extends to social impact projects like Project Transitions, a housing complex for people living with HIV and AIDS. Leading teams across Texas and beyond, Hsu has built a practice known for adaptive reuse projects that breathe new life into forgotten buildings while creating sustainable, neighborhood-oriented urban spaces.

Hsu currently serves on the boards of the Austin Center for Design, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, and the UT School of Architecture Advisory Council, and is a member of the Austin SoHo House Committee and the Mueller Development Design Review Committee. Hsu is a past AIA Austin President, Texas Society of Architects board member, and Austin Design Week advisor. He lectures nationally at universities, forums and SXSW, has juried for AIA, IIDA and major publications, and he has appeared on podcasts including DesignED and Monograph.

For TRIBEZA’s Curators series, Michael Hsu shares his favorite places and hidden gems around Austin.

How long have you lived in Austin and where are you from originally?

I grew up in Houston and moved to Austin in 1988 to attend UT Cockrell School of Engineering, but quickly changed my focus of study at the UT Austin School of Architecture.

What do you love about Austin?

This city values creativity and innovation. It has a youthful spirit. It looks back and forward at the same time, which is inspiring. Austin is continually still trying to find itself, and I think that’s what makes it a great place to be a creative sort of person, and also a great place to start a business. I think I love the older sort of cities, places like New York and Chicago, but Austin has an energy about it. It’s where someone can start from really, not very much.

What’s your perfect day in Austin — from morning to night?

I’d start with coffee at Meteor, then mountain biking on the Greenbelt to Sculpture Falls for a swim. After I’d walk to dinner in Clarksville with my wife, followed by a show at ACL Live at the Moody Theater with friends.

Where do you take out-of-towners to show them the “real” Austin?

A quiet walk on Lady Bird Lake, or a busy walk on South Congress. I also always focus on where we are eating.

What do you hope never changes about Austin, even as the city grows?

It still feels like anyone can succeed and find a home here. I hope that never changes.