Etienne Coutu has a Master in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University and a Master in Architecture from Université de Montréal. From 2009 to 2013, he was political attaché to the leader of opposition party Projet Montréal, Richard Bergeron, in charge of the urbanism dossiers at City Hall.

OAQ member registered architect and LEED AP, he has worked for big Montreal's architecture firms, like Cardinal-Hardy et Associates, where he realized project such as Saint-James United, 333 Sherbrooke, and a modern art museum for Montreal's great grain silos no 5. He's done performing arts centers, Casino and nightclubs design architecture with Scéno Plus, and then was in charge of important public projects at Provencher-Roy et Associés Architectes.