Our Practice

Bristlecone Architecture is a technology-forward studio based in Reno, Nevada serving the Tahoe Basin, the Park City area, and the Puget Sound. Licensed in Nevada, Utah, and Washington, we are focused on luxury and custom residential, as well as small-scale commercial projects. Our philosophy is rooted in contextual response and enduring design strategies. Led by senior talent whose experience intersects the design and tech industries, our practice is distinguished by both human empathy and data-driven design – a rare approach that honors people, place, and process.

Matthew Grunert, RA NCARB

Matthew Grunert is a Registered Architect, licensed in Nevada, Utah, and Washington, and the founder of Bristlecone Architecture. Raised in Carson City and rooted in the Sierra Nevada, he returned home to establish a practice dedicated to enduring design – buildings that belong to their landscapes and stand resilient through time.

With over 12 years of professional experience, his work spans custom residences, multifamily housing, institutional projects, and advanced industrial facilities. Through leadership roles at Amazon and Katerra, he pioneered AI-driven design systems, developed BIM-enabled planning tools, and holds patents as an inventor of prefabricated building systems. This background in both design and technology gives Bristlecone a unique ability to unite the quiet beauty of craft with precision, efficiency, and the foresight of innovation.

  • Amazon – Technical Infrastructure Program Manager: Led Global Realty's Design Data Intelligence program, developing data-driven design and BIM planning systems for industrial and commercial facilities.
  • Katerra – Senior Architect & Product Lead: Created architectural prototypes, prefab kit-of-parts systems, cross-laminated timber applications, and established enterprise BIM strategies.
  • Sustainable Living Innovations (SLI) – Project Architect & Design Lead: Designed panelized building components and high-rise prototypes for sustainable prefab housing including 47+7 (flagship technology pilot) and 303 Battery (15-story net-zero carbon high-rise).
  • CollinsWoerman Architects – Associate, Project Architect: Developed mixed-use, biotech, and master planning projects such as Kirkland Urban and Urban Union .
  • Inventor & Patent Holder – Secured multiple U.S. patents for prefabricated building system technologies.

Our Partners

We are grateful to collaborate with individuals, communities, and companies who share our belief in enduring design – shaping spaces grounded in purpose, presence, and meaning. In addition to working directly with owners, we partner with architecture, engineering, and construction teams seeking a nimble, tech-savvy consultant.

Berg Design LLC

Our Name

Nevada’s bristlecone pine symbolizes design that endures: resilience in thin air and lean soil; patience and long-horizon thinking; clarity of purpose; and stewardship of place. It reflects independence thriving under constraint, turning scarcity into strength. As a guiding emblem for our work, it affirms craft that strengthens with time and architecture that lasts – steadfast, rooted, adaptable, and built to endure with quiet confidence.