He was winner of a Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize in 2011 for Medium rise timber office building in low-to-no carbon emissions district in Helsinki, Finland with Adrian Campbell of Arup UK, London, United Kingdom and Jan-Christoph Zoels of Experientia, Torino, Italy.

Sauerbruch Hutton Architekten was founded by Matthias Sauerbruch and Louisa Hutton (1989). The practice is noted for its synthesis of color in the design process, and for the use of fluid curvilinear forms. The firm’s architecture is also known for its technical innovation and environmental sustainability, particularly double-skin facades on tall buildings. Built works range from the Brandhorst Museum in Munich to the Federal Environmental Agency in Dessau, which presents a benchmark building for the sustainable design of offices. A significant number of projects for private and public clients are in progress and completed in Germany and Europe.

Matthias Sauerbruch studied architecture at the Hochschule der Künste (now Berlin University of the Arts) and at the Architectural Association (AA) in London. He has worked at Rem Koolhaas’s Office for Metropolitan Architecture in London, leading the House at Checkpoint Charlie project.

He has maintained an involvement in teaching throughout his professional career, having held professorships at the University of Virginia, the State Academy of Art and Design in Stuttgart and Berlin Technical University. In 2005 he was appointed Kenzo Tange Visiting Design Critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.