Laboratoire CRAterre
Laboratoire CRAterre is a French private research center founded in 1979 and based in Villefontaine, France. It operates as an international reference center for earth construction, linking earthen building techniques, cultural diversity, and poverty alleviation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersVillefontaine, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Laboratoire CRAterre does
Laboratoire CRAterre is a French private organization headquartered in Villefontaine, France, founded in 1979, and self-described as the international center for earth construction, cultural diversity, and the fight against poverty. Its functional focus is on raw earth (unfired earth) as a building material and construction technique, applied within a development-oriented mission that links vernacular building heritage to contemporary affordable housing and poverty reduction. The organization serves a niche international audience of researchers, practitioners, and development stakeholders working in earthen architecture, rather than a mass commercial market.
The organization's core activity is research, expertise, and project work in earth-based construction, including the study and dissemination of traditional and innovative earthen building techniques. The input data does not disclose specific products, a technology platform, a pricing model, or a defined go-to-market motion; no proprietary technology stack, software, or commercial product catalog is described. The firmographic flags the entity as for_profit, but the mission framing (cultural diversity, poverty alleviation) and the "laboratoire" designation are more characteristic of a research/reference center that likely operates through grants, institutional partnerships, training, and consulting rather than a standardized commercial offering. Revenue model, pricing details, distribution channels, and customer segments are all absent from the available data.
At a scale of 1-10 employees, Laboratoire CRAterre is a small specialist unit rather than a scaled enterprise. Its strategic significance derives from its longevity (45+ years of continuous operation since 1979), its positioning as an international reference point in a narrow technical domain, and its alignment with sustainable construction and development agendas. No recent strategic actions, funding rounds, leadership changes, acquisitions, or product launches are documented in the supplied data, and the company website source resolved only to a verification/loading page, so deeper operational detail could not be verified.
Laboratoire CRAterre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Laboratoire CRAterre
- Website
- https://craterre.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Laboratoire CRAterre is a French private research center founded in 1979 and based in Villefontaine, France. It operates as an international reference center for earth construction, linking earthen building techniques, cultural diversity, and poverty alleviation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Laboratoire CRAterre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Earth Construction Research and Architectural Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)
- SIC
- Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700), General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Landscape Construction & Hardscaping (Patios, Retaining Walls, Outdoor Structures) (IMAIAIAE)
Keywords
Where Laboratoire CRAterre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Villefontaine
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Laboratoire CRAterre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
Laboratoire CRAterre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Laboratoire CRAterre is the international center for earth construction, cultural diversity, and the fight against poverty. It operates as a specialized research and expertise center dedicated to earthen architecture, vernacular construction techniques, and the dissemination of knowledge on raw earth as a sustainable building material. Its activities span research, training, technical advisory, and capacity building for heritage preservation and humanitarian construction contexts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Earth Construction Research and Expertise Specialized research and technical expertise on raw earth construction, earthen architecture, and vernacular building techniques for institutional clients, heritage bodies, and development organizations.
- Training and Capacity Building Programs Education and training programs on earth construction methods for architects, engineers, and construction professionals, supporting skill development and dissemination of earthen architecture knowledge.
- Heritage Conservation Advisory Technical advisory and consulting for the conservation of earthen architectural heritage, supporting cultural diversity preservation and restoration projects.
Companies that use Laboratoire CRAterre
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles2 records
Laboratoire CRAterre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Laboratoire CRAterre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Piséterre / Piséco Earth Construction: French-based specialist contractor in rammed earth (pisé) construction and restoration, offering a directly comparable craft-construction offering and serving as a likely commercial counterpart to CRAterre's research activities in France.
- Terra Reforcada: Portuguese organization focused on the conservation and reinforcement of earthen architectural heritage, with overlapping research, training, and dissemination activities to CRAterre's cultural-heritage dimension.
Direct peers
- Auroville Earth Institute: Research and training institute based in Auroville, India, dedicated to the study and dissemination of earth architecture and compressed earth block technologies — directly parallel to CRAterre's mission as a specialist center for earth construction.
- Architecture Sans Frontières: Network of architects deploying building expertise for humanitarian and development purposes, including earth construction in low-resource contexts; shares CRAterre's coupling of construction knowledge with poverty and cultural diversity missions.
- Martin Rauch / Lehm Ton Erde: Austrian specialist firm led by rammed-earth pioneer Martin Rauch, offering rammed earth construction, prefabricated clay panels, and consulting — overlapping with CRAterre's earth construction expertise at the practical/construction layer.
Emerging players
- Centre for Earth Architecture (Morocco / Marrakech): Moroccan institution promoting research, education, and dissemination of earthen architecture, including partnership with UNESCO on World Heritage earthen sites; comparable as a regional research/advocacy node in the same field as CRAterre.
- Earth Block Inc: Manufacturer of compressed earth blocks and supplier of construction systems based on raw earth materials, overlapping with CRAterre in the promotion of earthen construction methods, though commercially oriented.
Others
- ICOMOS / ICOMOS-ISCEAH: International Council on Monuments and Sites, with a specialist scientific committee on earthen architectural heritage (ISCEAH); comparable as the institutional ecosystem in which CRAterre operates and partners on heritage earthen sites worldwide.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Laboratoire CRAterre social profiles
Digital presenceLaboratoire CRAterre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Laboratoire CRAterre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Laboratoire CRAterre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Laboratoire CRAterre M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Laboratoire CRAterre
What does Laboratoire CRAterre do?
Laboratoire CRAterre is the international center for earth construction, cultural diversity, and the fight against poverty. It operates as a specialized research and expertise center dedicated to earthen architecture, vernacular construction techniques, and the dissemination of knowledge on raw earth as a sustainable building material. Its activities span research, training, technical advisory, and capacity building for heritage preservation and humanitarian construction contexts.
When was Laboratoire CRAterre founded?
Laboratoire CRAterre was founded in 1979. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Laboratoire CRAterre based?
Laboratoire CRAterre is headquartered in Villefontaine, France, in the Europe region.
Who are Laboratoire CRAterre's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Piséterre / Piséco Earth Construction and Terra Reforcada. Direct peers are Auroville Earth Institute, Architecture Sans Frontières and Martin Rauch / Lehm Ton Erde. Emerging players are Centre for Earth Architecture (Morocco / Marrakech) and Earth Block Inc. ICOMOS / ICOMOS-ISCEAH is listed as an others.
Does Laboratoire CRAterre have an API?
No public API is recorded for Laboratoire CRAterre.
What industry is Laboratoire CRAterre in?
Laboratoire CRAterre's product category is Earth Construction Research and Architectural Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAIAIAE, Landscape Construction & Hardscaping (Patios, Retaining Walls, Outdoor Structures). Its NAICS code is 2362 and its SIC code is 1700.