The Sommer Environment

What The Sommer Environment does

Le Sommer Environnement is a French environmental engineering consultancy founded in 2002/2003, headquartered in Paris with a regional office in Bordeaux. The firm operates as AMO (Assistance à Maîtrise d'Ouvrage) and/or MOE (Maîtrise d'Œuvre) on construction and urban development projects, serving real estate developers, architectural firms, public authorities, and select institutional clients across France and internationally (Algeria, Gabon, Kenya, Monaco, Martinique, Mayotte). Recognized as a "pioneer expert" that helped install the HQE certification framework in France, the firm has delivered over 200 projects across 18 years.

Core service lines span bioclimatic and passive design, energy efficiency engineering, water ecocycle and decentralized sanitation (including VUNA NEXUS source-separation systems), circular and bio-sourced construction, aeraulic and thermal simulation, and environmental certification support across HQE, LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, and BBCA standards. The technology stack combines multi-criteria environmental assessment frameworks, building-physics simulation, and lifecycle analysis applied at building and district scales.

The firm generates revenue through fee-based, project-by-project consulting engagements negotiated per scope, with multi-year contracts on larger programs. Its GTM is driven by expertise reputation, public-tender and consortium-bid participation, and thought-leadership content (website, blog, "Chemins faisant" study tours, professional networks including ICEB, LUA, and IC4). The team comprises approximately 15-25 staff, including Managing Director Michel Le Sommer and senior staff holding assessor/referent credentials across major environmental certifications.

Name

The Sommer Environment

Legal name

Le Sommer Environnement

Website

https://lesommer.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Le Sommer Environnement is a French environmental engineering consultancy, founded 2002, delivering AMO/MOE services in bioclimatic design, water ecocycle management, and environmental certification (HQE, LEED, BREEAM) to developers, architects, and public authorities across France and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Compliance & Permitting (BPAHAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

EMS Design, Documentation & Implementation (EUAHAIAB), EMS Integration (ISO 9001/45001/50001) & Integrated Management Systems (EUAHAIAC), Certification Support (Stage 1/2) & External Audit сопровождение (EUAHAIAF)

Keywords

• Environmental engineering consultancy
• Sustainable construction consulting
• Bioclimatic design services
• Building certification advisory
• Urban metabolism consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting & Project Management Services (AMO/MOE): Le Sommer Environnement generates revenue through fee-based consulting engagements, providing environmental advisory (AMO) and design engineering (MOE) services for construction and urban development projects. Revenue is project-based and recurring through ongoing client relationships with developers, public agencies, and architectural firms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Le Sommer Environnement is a private environmental engineering and consulting firm that delivers AMO (Assistance à Maîtrise d'Ouvrage) and MOE (Maîtrise d'Œuvre) services for sustainable construction and urban development projects. Its work spans environmental certification support (HQE, LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, BBCA), bioclimatic design, water ecocycle and decentralized sanitation engineering, circular construction consulting, and post-delivery environmental performance monitoring, contracted on a project basis with developers, architects, and public agencies across France and internationally.

Product overview

Le Sommer Environnement is an environmental consultancy firm providing AMO (Assistance à Maîtrise d'Ouvrage) and MOE (Maîtrise d'Œuvre) services for construction projects and urban planning developments. The firm specializes in sustainable construction consulting, environmental engineering, and ecodesign across France and internationally, operating from offices in Paris and Bordeaux. Services include environmental certification assistance (HQE, LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, BBCA), bioclimatic design, water ecocycle management, and circular economy consulting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental AMO/MOE Consultancy Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 projects completed across 18 years
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship/key, core and minor.

• AIA Environnementflagship/keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2023In December 2023, Le Sommer Environnement and AIA Environnement announced a strategic partnership under the banner '1 + 1 = 3', combining their respective environmental expertise to address major sustainability challenges in construction and urban development projects.
• ICEB (Institut pour la conception écoresponsable du bâti)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Sommer Environnement actively participates in ICEB's work, which brings together more than 60 professionals from architecture, building, urban planning, and related fields. The firm also co-developed the 'bio-tech' guide series with ICEB and Arene Île-de-France covering topics such as natural lighting.
• LUA (Laboratoire d'Urbanisme Agricole / Agricultural Urbanism Lab)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLUA is an association created in 2011 by SOA architecture, Le Sommer Environnement, and Les Jardins de Gally, specializing in agricultural urbanism. Le Sommer Environnement participates in collective research on the 'fabrique agricole' concept and urban metabolism linking food, water, and energy systems.
• VUNA / EAWAG (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Sommer Environnement collaborates with VUNA and EAWAG on source-separation sanitation systems (VUNA NEXUS) for urine valorization into fertilizer. The firm is involved in the DESIGN ANR research project on separate effluent management and has installed the VUNA NEXUS system at ESA's Paris agency.
• TU Wien & TU Graz (Sustainable Construction Department)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Sommer Environnement participated in research conducted over 4 years by the Sustainable Construction Department of TU Wien and TU Graz on the Vivihouse prefabricated modular demountable building system, contributing to the dissemination of this research via its blog.
• MAMMO (Maison de la matière organique oubliée)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn December 2023, Le Sommer Environnement joined the consortium with MAMMO and Solagro awarded by Bordeaux Métropole for the 'Metabolising the Invisible' project focusing on organic matter valorization.
• Sous les Fraises & BeeOdibeesityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen&Grey Wall project, co-led with Sous les Fraises and Belgian company BeeOdibeesity, won the 2nd European Grow & Harvest H2020 Metabuilding call for phyto-treatment of grey water using plant-based filtration systems.
• IC4 (Innovative Construction for Climate)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Sommer Environnement is listed as an active participant in IC4, a cluster/network focused on innovative construction for climate, alongside other building and urban planning professionals.
• ICEB / CO2D (Collectif démarche durable)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICEB and CO2D launched a cycle of weekly webinars titled 'Hors-la-loi pour dépasser la loi' (Beyond the law to exceed the law) ahead of COP21, addressing how to go beyond regulatory requirements in sustainable building.
• Research & Industrial Network for Decentralized Water ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor more than 10 years, Le Sommer Environnement has worked within networks associating researchers, design offices, and industrial players specializing in water sector issues to develop decentralized sanitation solutions, close water cycles, and recover urban effluents. A map of ecosystem partners is maintained.
• Hands Up! (Graphic Design Studio)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHands Up! manages Le Sommer Environnement's graphic identity and created the scenography and visual identity for the 'Climats artificiels' exhibition at the EDF Foundation in Paris.
• CLEA (Comfort, Light, Energy, Atmosphere) — Collective Research ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLEA is a collective research project addressing the insufficient consideration of natural light in construction and renovation operations. Le Sommer Environnement participates in this multi-partner research initiative.
• BiobeeboxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBordeaux-based company Biobeebox is working with Le Sommer Environnement on household bio-waste valorization within eco-neighborhood projects for Bordeaux Métropole, including the Terra Metha project for biomethane production.
• SolagrominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolagro is a partner in the December 2023 consortium with MAMMO and Le Sommer Environnement awarded by Bordeaux Métropole for metabolizing organic matter at the metropolitan scale.
• EOOS (Austrian Design Firm)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEOOS collaborated with VUNA and EAWAG on the Save It! separative sanitation project, with Le Sommer Environnement involved in related dissemination and implementation activities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AIA Environnement: French environmental design consultancy providing AMO/MOE services on HQE, BREEAM, LEED, biodivercity, and urban metabolism projects. AIA is Le Sommer's December 2023 strategic combination partner ('1 + 1 = 3'), making it the closest functional mirror in size, methodology, and client base.
• Franck Boutté Consultants: Long-established French environmental design consultancy specializing in bioclimatic design, environmental engineering, and certification support across building and district scales. Highly comparable in service mix, client base (developers, architects, public bodies), and pioneer positioning in French sustainable construction.
• Inddigo: French environmental and energy engineering consultancy offering energy diagnostics, environmental studies, and sustainable construction advisory to developers and public bodies. Directly comparable in environmental project consulting and French environmental certification support.

Broad incumbents

• Burgeap (Artelia): Environmental and water/soil engineering consultancy now part of Artelia. Overlaps Le Sommer on environmental assessment, certification support, and water cycle work, but operates at materially larger scale and across wider industrial/environmental domains including site remediation.
• Egis: Major French engineering group with a dedicated environment and sustainable development practice covering urban planning, eco-districts, and environmental certification. Competes with Le Sommer on Grand Paris and major metropolitan tenders but from a much broader service portfolio.
• Tractebel (Engie): Large energy and built-environment engineering consultancy with an expanding sustainability and decarbonization practice. Comparable on environmental certification, energy efficiency, and district-scale projects, though positioned at the global mega-project level.
• WSP: Global engineering consultancy with a substantial built-environment sustainability and environmental certification practice. Overlaps Le Sommer on LEED/BREEAM certification, energy efficiency, and environmental advisory within large private and public developments.
• Arup: Global engineering and design firm with a well-developed sustainability and built-environment consultancy. Overlaps on environmental certification, climate-responsive design, and district-scale environmental engineering, but with much broader geographic and disciplinary reach.
• Ramboll: Nordic-headquartered engineering, environment and sustainability consultancy. Comparable on environmental certification, water management, and urban metabolism work, scaled globally and increasingly active in Western European green building markets.
• Buro Happold: International multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy with a dedicated sustainability and environmental consultancy practice. Comparable on environmental certification, BREEAM/LEED advisory, and bioclimatic/energy design across building and masterplan scales.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LeSommerEnvironnement

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 The Sommer Environment