Built from a shared conversation, not a business plan.

Material was founded on a simple belief: better-designed homes should not have to cost significantly more. We are not trying to build the most homes in Christchurch; we are here to raise the standard of the homes we choose to build and earn a lasting reputation for doing so. For years, home buyers have been asked to choose between generic, high-volume standard builds or expensive bespoke architecture. We bridge that gap by working exclusively with NZ Registered Architects and investing where it actually impacts daily life—applying more thought to spatial planning, site orientation, and honest materials that age gracefully over time.  

The business grew out of ongoing conversations between Nick Cowdy and Marcus Stott, who combined 30 years of experience across construction, property development, and real estate to challenge the standard housing compromises the market has learned to accept. Marcus brings 15 years of hands-on construction, project management, and development expertise—having first tested and refined much of Material’s current thinking across his previous projects under Dwell. Nick brings a career spanning back to 2010 in real estate sales and management alongside a deep background interest in arts and architecture, giving him a clear understanding of how people actually experience space, where floorplans fail, and how to create lasting value for owner-occupiers.  

No home is the work of one person, which is why we collaborate with trusted builders, suppliers, craftspeople, and named Registered Architects who share our standards. Together, our goal is to set the benchmark for better housing in Christchurch—creating homes that add something meaningful to the character of our city rather than simply adding to its housing stock, and that remain valued long after the newness wears off.