Matière Première Architecture

Established in 2016 by Marc-Antoine Chrétien, Etienne Chaussé, and Dominic Chaussé, Matière Première Architecture represents a significant contribution to Quebec's contemporary architectural discourse. The Montreal-based practice operates through an integrated design-build model, uniting architectural design services with Nu Drom Construction under unified leadership to ensure seamless project execution from conceptualization through completion.

The firm's design methodology centers on deriving spatial authenticity from contextual analysis, particularly the relationship between built form and natural environment. This philosophical approach manifests in projects that prioritize site-specific responses over imposed formal vocabularies, allowing topography, climate, and existing ecosystems to inform architectural decision-making.

Matière Première Architecture distinguishes itself through a multidisciplinary practice model that enables direct material exploration and construction oversight. This vertically integrated structure facilitates precise detailing and craftsmanship while maintaining design intent throughout fabrication and assembly phases. The studio's work demonstrates particular attention to thermal performance, spatial continuity, and material honesty, employing restrained palettes of locally sourced timber species and weather-responsive cladding systems.

The practice's portfolio reflects a consistent investigation into threshold conditions and inhabitable transitional spaces, challenging conventional distinctions between interior and exterior programs. Through careful calibration of structural cantilevers, sheltering roof geometries, and permeable spatial sequences, the firm develops architectures of integration rather than imposition, positioning each project as responsive instrument within its broader landscape context.