Following his studies at the Berlin University of the Arts and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, Matthias Sauerbruch co-founded sauerbruch hutton in London in 1989 with Louisa Hutton. Since 1993, the office has been based in Berlin.

As a founding member of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), Matthias is committed to promoting sustainable practices in architecture. He was involved in the Urban Design Council in Munich and served on the board of the KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin. He holds honorary fellowships from both the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI), and is a member of the architecture section at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin.

Matthias has served as a Unit Master at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and held tenure-track professorships at the Technische Universität Berlin and the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design. His extensive academic work includes visiting professorships at the University of Virginia, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Berlin University of the Arts.