Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1966. In 1988 he graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art and Economics and was awarded the Sanderson prize in Architecture. In 1989 he attended SCI-Arc in Vico Morcote, Switzerland for architectural design studios with Peter Zumthor and Ivano Gianola. In 1993 he graduated from Yale University Graduate School of Architecture with a Master of Architecture degree. From 1993 through 1998 he worked in the Los Angeles architectural offices of Frank Israel, Frank Gehry and Eric Owen Moss, playing a substantial role in several award winning projects. In 1999 he worked for DMJM/ Keating on high-rise buildings in Asia, and also began teaching at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles. From 2000 to 2004 he led architectural design studios at the University of Southern California School of Architecture. In 2000 he established XTEN Architecture with partner Monika Häfelfinger. Austin Kelly lives in Los Angeles.