Set the scene: It’s a beautiful fall (ish) Austin day. You’re taking a break from working downtown (or just walking around admiring our bustling city’s center) and you decide you’re thirsty or hungry for a quick snack. You want something delicious, but you’re also in the mood to absorb some sleek, clever modern architecture. I know the perfect new place.

With the opening of the second location of the wildly popular South Austin eatery La Boîte downtown (1006 Congress Avenue) last week, architect Mark Meyer, principle of design/build firm designSTUDIO, cemented his role as an awesome architect with the ability to transform shipping containers (three so far in Austin) into architecturally significant food trailers. They may be tiny in size, but their impact on the style of Austin has been palpable.

It’s in the simple, modern details that Mark proves what an excellent designer he is. Unlike other food trailers, where you order at a window, you’re invited into his designs to interact with modern materials. The 160 square feet seems spacious due to the flood of natural light let in by ample windows, super simple materials like pine plywood ceiling and cabinets, Forbo linoleum floor and walls and stainless counters and displays, as seen in both La Boîtes. And it's not just what he chooses for materials, it's how he uses them.

“We aren't too picky about the 'look' of the finish materials in the three boxes we've built out so far. Function has always been paramount in that department since we are dealing with food. The one trick we implemented early on in La Boîte was the continuous linoleum surface that rolls up the wall to the ceiling. That arose out of the desire to make it easier to clean the floor behind the counter. Let it be known that espresso making is a messy business! The folding wall at La Boîte was our biggest splurge. It was always a part of the feel for the brand. It's really all about a street-side café feel and being able to open up the whole side of the trailer that really makes that happen,” says Mark.

Mark’s second foray into shipping container food design was the now closed sushiBox (which has been taken over by Snap Kitchen). As with La Boîte it was the elegance of the space’s simple modernism—sharp lines, pops of color, keen materiality and fun functionality (like how the doors became awnings)—that made it such a treat to see. Not many changes were made to La Boîte deux; some refinements to plumbing equipment for ease of use and a little extra storage expansion, but the biggest difference is the exterior. Without the option of landscaping, you’ll notice a more patio-feel with decks that give the area an ultra urban setting. What you won’t see is anything that makes you feel like these are tiny spaces packed to the gills. You won’t feel cluttered, rushed or overwhelmed by unnecessary ornament.

“Needless to say the biggest challenge of designing 'in the box' is space. There isn't a whole hell of a lot of width to cram in all the required goodies to make the kitchen work. We were literally talking about a half inch here and a quarter inch there on occasion! But because [La Boîte owners Victoria Davies and Dan Bereczki] understood how to work in limited quarters we were able to craft a space where the workflow is pretty natural. The success of the design is that even though things are tight in there, you'd never know it to look at it,” says Mark.

Mark’s contribution to the Austin design scene isn’t just awesome shipping container-based food trailers, though. His design/build firm also tackles plenty of residential home projects, from additions to fully designed homes and more, all with Mark’s unique style and a strong connection to simple, healthy, eco-friendly practices and materials. But even he admits that the modular nature of something box-shaped—like a shipping container—fits right in with the previous architectural design/build work his firm has done (and will continue to do):

“designSTUDIO's approach to design really lends itself to the container-based projects in that there has always been a certain rigor and rhythm associated with the underlying materiality of each design. A latent modularity creeps into the vast majority of our work. Some of this arises out of working with specific materials and building systems and their inherent 'sizes' and modules, and other projects take on a decidedly 'mass-produce-able' flavour that derives out of the desire to fashion a 'kit-of-parts' system that will allow for customizable designs to arise out of the work. Maybe it's just a desire to not always be starting with a blank sheet of paper... Either way the modular nature of the containers fits right in with the way we work,” says Mark.

Of course, Mark’s fame comes from the three shipping container designs that are so prominent in Austin’s architecture scene right now, which he can see has had an impact on Austin design.

"With two projects bookending Downtown Congress Ave, I'd have to say that there is some impact. I couldn't ask for any higher profile for the food trailers we've designed," says Mark.

When I asked him if was worried people would only come to know him as a shipping container designer, he didn’t seem too concerned, but did want to stress his firm’s versatility.

“designSTUDIO is definitely not a one-trick pony! We do so much more than food-trailers and container-based designs and we rarely say 'no' to interesting projects, especially if they concern the opportunity to work with new (to us) materials or systems. That sort of fearlessness is what makes design/build so satisfying. Working on things we've never done before puts a smile on our faces, but there is something to be said for refining our design approach and library of details through multiple iterations of food trailers/container-based designs,” says Mark.

That being said, you can look forward to four more residential projects from Mark in the recent future—all container-based for now. While I'm sure he’ll break out of the shipping container business again, I don’t really care if he decides to build with cardboard boxes, I’m just glad I get to enjoy his designs in the city I love.

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See more designSTUDIO work on Mark's website. The newest La Boîte is located at 1006 Congress Avenue and is open 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.(ish) Monday through Saturday. Find your favorite treats at the original La Boîte, at 1700 South Lamar Boulevard, where they're open seven days a week, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.(ish) weekdays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.(ish) weekends.