FAUN

What FAUN does

FAUN is a privately-held architecture and urban planning firm headquartered in Nantes, France, operating as a professional services practice of approximately 30 staff led by three associated architects (Laurent Bertrand, Angélique Gault, Baptiste Ledebt). The firm delivers full-scope architectural services — from concept design through construction project management (OPC) and construction economics — across educational buildings, social and private housing, rehabilitation, parking structures, and mixed-use commercial projects. Its core differentiator is sustainable construction using geo-sourced, bio-sourced, and recycled materials, with active specialisation in wood-frame structures, straw insulation, load-bearing straw, material reuse, and an ADEME-supported research-action programme on reed as a construction input. FAUN also promotes dense urban regeneration and reversibility of buildings as design principles, targeting urban renewal over sprawl.

The firm acquires work almost entirely through public architecture competitions (concours) and direct commissions, with a client base dominated by French local authorities (communes, communautés de communes) and social housing operators (bailleurs sociaux) such as Nantes Métropole Habitat, Silène, Ville de Nantes, Harmonie Habitat, Archipel Habitat, Nantes Habitat, and Sarthe Habitat, plus a smaller roster of private developers (SAS Couzedis, SAS Sobredis, SCCV Les Pontreaux). Geographic focus is Western France — primarily Pays de la Loire (départements 44, 49, 72, 85) with project activity documented in Bretagne (35), Centre-Val de Loire (41), and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur — placing it firmly in the regional SME architecture segment.

Revenue is project-based, derived from negotiated design and project management fees under prescribed public sector procurement rules; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Marketing is relationship-driven, supported by a project portfolio on faun.archi, an Instagram channel, and reputational recognition including the 2014 Prix Régional Construction Bois Région Centre and 2022 finalist/nomination status at the Prix National de la Construction Bois and ArchDaily Building of the Year. The firm is independent, with no disclosed external investment, parent entity, or acquisition activity.

Name

FAUN

Legal name

FAUN

Website

https://faun.archi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FAUN is a Nantes-based, privately-held architecture and urban planning firm of approximately 30 staff that designs sustainable buildings using bio-sourced materials for French public sector clients, social housing operators, and select private developers across Western France and beyond.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nantes

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Urban Planning Services: FAUN generates revenue through commissions and public tenders for architectural and urban planning services, including new construction, rehabilitation, and urban requalification projects. Revenue is project-based and derived from client fees for design, project management, economics of construction, and OPC (ordonnancement, pilotage, coordination).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

FAUN is a Nantes-based architecture and urban planning firm that designs and delivers architectural and urban projects for public entities and social housing providers across Western France. Its core offering covers new construction, building rehabilitation, urban renewal, and project management (OPC), with specialisation in sustainable construction using bio-sourced, geo-sourced, and recycled materials such as wood, straw, and reed. The practice spans educational buildings, social and private housing, parking structures, and commercial projects.

Product overview

FAUN is a Nantes-based architecture and urban planning firm operating as a single unified practice rather than a platform-based model. The company delivers end-to-end architectural services encompassing design, project management, and construction supervision across five main project categories: educational buildings (schools and colleges), housing (social and private residential), rehabilitation and urban renewal, parking structures, and commercial projects. The firm specializes in sustainable construction with expertise in bio-sourced materials, wood construction, and rehabilitation work conducted in occupied sites. Notable projects include the award-winning Groupe scolaire Les Moulins (finalist for the National Wood Construction Prize 2022) and the Collège Raoul Rebout (winner of the Regional Wood Construction Prize 2014).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design and project delivery covering residential, commercial, educational, and mixed-use buildings across the Nantes metropolitan area and western France, from concept through construction supervision.
• Urban Planning Urban renewal and city transformation services focused on dense, mixed-use developments that optimise land use and promote programmatic diversity for public clients in Western France.
• Rehabilitation and Renovation Building rehabilitation services including thermal and acoustic renovation, facade requalification, accessibility upgrades, and works conducted in occupied sites for social housing operators and public landlords.
• Sustainable Construction Materials Consulting Advisory and design expertise in geo-sourced, bio-sourced, and recycled materials including wood structures, straw insulation, load-bearing straw, reed experimentation (ADEME-supported research-action), and material reuse strategies.
• Educational Building Projects Design and project management of school groups, elementary schools, colleges, and childcare facilities for French communes and intercommunalities, including Groupe Scolaire Petit Prince, Groupe Scolaire Alain Fournier, Groupe Scolaire Mutualité, Collège Raoul Rebout, and Groupe scolaire Les Moulins.
• Social and Private Housing Projects Design and delivery of collective social housing, mixed-tenure housing, and large residential programmes for social housing operators and private developers, including Marbaudais (70 units), Les Hauts de Loire (206 units), and Delambre Joncours (216 units).
• Parking Structure Projects Multi-level parking silo design and construction, including a 430-place parking silo in Beaucouzé for SAS Couzedis and parking structures in Carquefou and Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu.
• Commercial Project Design Commercial centre demolition, reconstruction, and mixed-use development including the Super U commercial centre reconstruction in Bretignolles-sur-Mer (10,138 m² SP) for SAS Sobredis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Construction of school groups totalling thousands of square metres across Western France, improving educational infrastructure for local communities.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ADEME (Agence de la Transition Écologique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAUN participates in a research-action programme supported by ADEME for the experimentation and valorisation of reed (roseau) as a construction material. This is a structured research partnership contributing to the development of bio-sourced building methods.
• Pharo (architecte co-traitant)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-contracting architect on the Le Val d'Huisne project (Le Mans, 2013) alongside FAUN as mandataire.
• Denis Leost (architecte co-traitant)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-contracting architect on the Résidence Le Ponant Tricastel project (Saint-Nazaire, 2011–2015) alongside FAUN as mandataire.
• Echelle Office (architecte co-traitant)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-contracting architect on the Bourgeonnière project (Nantes, 2014–2016) alongside FAUN as mandataire, OPC and economics.
• JBA (architecte co-traitant)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-contracting architect and construction economist on the Îlot Nord competition project (Les Sorinières, 2019) alongside FAUN as mandataire.
• VUPARminorOthersDigital agency based in Nantes responsible for website creation (créateur) and maintenance (webmaster) for faun.archi.
• OVH.comminorOthersWeb hosting provider for faun.archi. Hosting location: 2 rue Kellermann, 59100 Roubaix, France.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Muoto: French architecture firm engaged in sustainable construction, social engagement and public-sector projects. Comparable to FAUN on social housing, sustainability positioning and French public client base, with a similar team size.
• Tectône: French architecture firm specialising in bio-sourced construction (wood, straw, hemp, earth). Closely aligned with FAUN's core material specialisation and sustainable construction positioning, with comparable team size and project typology.
• Encore Heureux: French sustainable architecture studio with a strong focus on circular economy, material reuse and bio-sourced construction. Highly comparable specialisation to FAUN's geo/bio-sourced material approach, with similarly small team size and public-sector orientation.
• Jakob + MacFarlane: French architecture firm focused on innovative, sustainable and adaptive reuse projects with strong material experimentation. Directly comparable to FAUN's emphasis on innovative construction methods and sustainability-led design.
• Architecture-Studio: Major French architecture firm with a long-standing urban planning and public infrastructure portfolio (housing, cultural, educational). Comparable to FAUN on urban regeneration, social housing and educational building typologies, but at substantially greater scale and international reach.
• Atelier SOA: French architecture firm focused on sustainable construction, material experimentation and public projects. Comparable to FAUN on bio-sourced materials approach and French public-sector project typology.
• LAN Architecture: French architecture firm with a strong portfolio in large-scale urban projects, mixed-use developments and public infrastructure. Comparable to FAUN's urban regeneration and mixed-use project typology, though operating at a significantly larger scale.
• Lacaton & Vassal: French architecture firm, Pritzker Prize 2021 laureates, renowned for social housing rehabilitation, energy-efficient retrofits and low-cost construction. Directly comparable to FAUN on social housing rehabilitation, sustainable construction philosophy and French public-sector client base, though operating at a much larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): International architecture firm with strong sustainability, public infrastructure and cultural project portfolio. Comparable in approach to sustainability-driven design, though operating at much larger scale across global markets rather than FAUN's regional French focus.
• Snøhetta: International architecture and design firm with a strong public-sector, cultural and landscape architecture portfolio. Comparable in approach to public-sector project delivery and sustainability integration, though operating globally at substantially greater scale than FAUN.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faunarchitectes
• Instagraminstagram.com/faunarchitectes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 FAUN