Atelier cambium

What Atelier cambium does

Atelier Cambium is a French architecture firm founded in 2006 by Olivier Laurent and Franck Ferrier, headquartered in Bordeaux with a secondary office in Paris. The firm delivers architectural design, urban planning, and heritage restoration services to a mix of public institutions and private developers, with a portfolio covering housing, education, culture, sports, hospitality, and public buildings. Its operational footprint extends across at least nine French regions (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Île-de-France, Centre-Val de Loire, Grand Est, Pays de la Loire, Occitanie, Hauts-de-France, Bretagne, Normandie), with mandates acquired primarily through architectural competitions (concours).

The firm's technical positioning centers on bioclimatic and low-carbon design. Documented capabilities include BEPOS-certified (positive-energy building) delivery, biosourced materials, timber framing, and low-carbon concrete. Notable projects include the Médiathèque centrale de Bayonne (€10.1M, inaugurated 2025), the Conservatoire de Cholet (€27M), Le Volcan du Havre (€40M), the INSEE Metz offices, and a pôle universitaire (€13M). In housing, the firm collaborated with MVRDV/OLGGA on the 65-unit Parvis Orion scheme (2019). The firm was recognized as a laureate of the 'Engagés pour la qualité du logement de demain' AMI in 2018.

The business model is project-based: revenue is earned through architectural fees, typically structured as a percentage of construction cost under French maîtrise d'œuvre conventions. Customers include private developers (Crédit Agricole Immobilier, Nexity, Bouygues Immobilier, Bouygues Bâtiment, Fayat Immobilier, Kaufman & Broad) and public entities (municipalities, conservatories, universities, INSEE). The firm is an organic, privately-held practice of an estimated 30-50 employees with no disclosed external funding rounds.

Name

Atelier cambium

Legal name

Atelier Cambium

Website

https://ateliercambium.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Atelier Cambium is a French architecture firm (Bordeaux and Paris) founded in 2006 by Olivier Laurent and Franck Ferrier, delivering bioclimatic, low-carbon architectural design and urban planning for public institutions and private developers across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Renovation, Remodeling & Tenant Improvements (General Contracting) (IMAFAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE), Residential Interior Fit-Out (Multi-Family & High-End) (IMAFANAE)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sustainable architecture
• Heritage rehabilitation
• Urban planning
• Residential architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Bordeaux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architectural and design fees: Revenue is generated through architectural design fees for commissioned projects across housing, education, culture, sports, hospitality, and public/institutional buildings. Fees are project-based, typically structured as a percentage of construction costs. The firm also undertakes urban planning and heritage restoration commissions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Atelier Cambium is a French architecture firm that designs and delivers bespoke architectural projects across residential, public/institutional, educational, hospitality, cultural, and office typologies in France. The firm specialises in sustainable, low-carbon, and bioclimatic design and is recognised for heritage rehabilitation and BEPOS-certified construction. Projects are primarily acquired through public and private architectural competitions (concours) or direct commissions from developers, municipalities, universities, and ministries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design for Housing (Logement) Bespoke architectural design of housing complexes, mixed-use residential developments, individual houses, and office-to-residential conversions for private developers, public institutions, and individuals.
• Architectural Design for Public and Institutional Buildings (Équipements Publics) Design of public facilities including conservatories, theatres, cultural centres, libraries, media libraries, sports facilities, and administrative buildings for municipalities, intermunicipal communities, ministries, and universities.
• Heritage Rehabilitation and Restoration Rehabilitation and restoration of historic buildings, including 17th–19th century monuments, Haussmannian buildings, 1950s convents, and former industrial or transport sites, often combined with contemporary extensions.
• Educational Architecture (Éducation) Architectural design of schools, university buildings, faculties, institutes, and educational infrastructure for universities, intermunicipal communities, and public authorities.
• Hospitality Architecture (Hôtellerie) Architectural design and heavy restructuring of hotel projects, including 4-star renovations and extensions, for hospitality investors and property companies.
• Office and Workplace Architecture (Bureau) Architectural design of office buildings, including BEPOS-certified new construction, rehabilitation, and vertical extension of existing headquarters.
• Urban Planning Services Urban planning commissions integrated with architectural projects, including sustainable urban development integrated into local territory.

Quantifiable outcome

• BEPOS-certified rehabilitation project (BacLac) doubles floor area while achieving positive energy building standard
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bouygues Construction CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2025Bouygues Construction Centre led the groupement (consortium) for the new conservatory project in Lucé, alongside Atelier Cambium and Ostinato. Bouygues Bâtiment Centre Sud-Ouest serves as the general contractor and structural lead for the €8.5M HT project.
• MVRDV (Winy Maas)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2019MVRDV served as the urban architect and coordinator for the ZAC Bastide Niel masterplan. Atelier Cambium worked as project architect for the Parvis Orion housing development (65 units), implementing MVRDV's urban and architectural vision including the monolithic effect, plastic continuity, and sculpted roofline directives. The partnership involved close coordination on complex technical challenges including waterproofing and rainwater management across the continuous facade-roof envelope.
• OLGGA Architectes (Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2019OLGGA was associated with Atelier Cambium as the project architect team for the Parvis Orion competition entry in the ZAC Bastide Niel. Together they won the competition for 65 housing units, with OLGGA serving as associate architect alongside Atelier Cambium as lead architect.
• Deshoulières Jeanneau ArchitectescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeshoulières Jeanneau is a long-standing partner of Atelier Cambium across numerous projects, including the Médiathèque centrale Bayonne, the Conservatoire Palaiseau, the INSEE Centre Metz, the Volcan Le Havre, the Opéra Comédie Montpellier, and others. Atelier Cambium is listed alongside Deshoulières Jeanneau as architect on many of the firm's project pages, suggesting a collaborative relationship or shared practice structure.
• Crédit Agricole Immobilier (client/developer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrédit Agricole Immobilier is the developer/client for the Parvis Orion project (65 housing units in ZAC Bastide Niel). Atelier Cambium has delivered multiple projects for CA Immobilier, indicating an ongoing client relationship.
• AIA IngénieriecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAIA Ingénierie serves as the lead engineering consultancy (BET TCE) on multiple Atelier Cambium projects including the Médiathèque Bayonne, Conservatoire Palaiseau, and the Marne university project, providing structure, electricity, thermics, and fluids expertise.
• Neufville-Gayet (architectes du patrimoine)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeufville-Gayet served as heritage architecture partner alongside Atelier Cambium on the Calnex project (Bordeaux), providing specialist heritage architecture expertise for the office-to-residential conversion of a Haussmannian building.
• Fayat ImmobiliercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFayat Immobilier commissioned Atelier Cambium for the Saint-Louis mixed-use project (64 housing units, commerce, office in Bordeaux), targeting 'Bâtiment frugal bordelais' Level 3 certification.
• Bouygues ImmobiliercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBouygues Immobilier commissioned Atelier Cambium (with A+R Paysages and A6A) for the Ginko A2.1 project (130 housing units in the Ginko eco-district, Bordeaux Lac), as part of a competition won against other teams.
• Nacarat / EPA Bordeaux EuratlantiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtelier Cambium served as associate architect (housing portion) alongside Vincent Parreira (AAVP) as lead for the group scolaire in the Armagnac 8.10 project commissioned by Nacarat within the EPA Bordeaux Euratlantique development zone.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Valode & Pistre: French firm strongly focused on sustainable and low-carbon architectural design across housing, public facilities, and large urban projects, with similar high-profile government and developer clients.
• Wilmotte & Associés: Established French architecture firm covering housing, public, and heritage rehabilitation with similar concours-driven business model, with comparable expertise in low-carbon and contextual design.
• Architecture-Studio: French architecture practice with a similar multi-disciplinary team working on large-scale cultural, educational, and residential projects via competitions and direct commissions, sharing Atelier Cambium's project-based concours-led GTM.
• Dominique Perrault Architecture: Paris-based firm with a very comparable project mix across cultural institutions, public buildings, and housing, often delivered through French and European competitions.
• LAN Architecture: Paris-based architecture firm with a parallel sustainability/bioclimatic focus, similarly sized multi-office structure (Paris and other regions), and comparable portfolio spanning housing, public, and heritage projects across France.

Broad incumbents

• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Global, sustainability-forward practice whose portfolio spans housing, cultural, and education typologies in Europe with similar focus on low-carbon and innovative construction techniques.
• Foster + Partners: Global architecture practice with large-scale heritage rehabilitation and public projects across France (e.g., Department of Justice in Bordeaux), a relevant reference point for the upper ceiling of the projects Atelier Cambium targets.
• Ateliers Jean Nouvel: Larger, internationally established French practice with comparable work across cultural and public commissions (e.g., Le Volcan with Niemeyer in Le Havre illustrates the tier in which Atelier Cambium competes on major cultural projects).

Emerging players

• Triptyque: Paris-based practice with strong low-carbon and biophilic design positioning, working on similar housing, public, and mixed-use typologies across France.
• MVRDV: Dutch firm already partnered with Atelier Cambium on the ZAC Bastide Niel Parvis Orion project and competes for similar sustainability-driven European urban and housing masterplans.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AtelierCambium
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atelier-cambium
• Instagraminstagram.com/ateliercambium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atelier cambium