Urban Act

What Urban Act does

Urban Act is a Paris-headquartered architecture and urban planning firm founded by Alexandre Bouton, operating with a multi-disciplinary team of approximately 15 professionals that integrates architecture, urban planning, carpentry, joinery, and design under one practice. The firm delivers integrated services across the full urban scale spectrum — from territorial strategy, master planning, and brownfield regeneration (e.g., the 60-hectare Branche de Croix project) down to architectural design, public-space design, and bespoke interior fittings — serving primarily French public-sector clients including municipalities, métropoles, departments, social housing providers (bailleurs), transport authorities, and public development agencies.

The firm's technical approach centers on nega-carbon (low-carbon) architecture and circular-economy methodologies, including systematic material reuse (exemplified by the award-winning Envie le Labo building using 82 reused washing-machine portholes), bio-sourced materials, BIM-enabled design, and ecosystemic environmental engineering. A distinctive operational element is La Remanufacture, an in-house wood workshop located directly beneath the Paris office that combines carpentry, joinery, and cabinetmaking with circular material sourcing, providing a vertically integrated service offering. The portfolio includes landmark engagements such as the 9-hectare Hangar Y heritage park (with Vinci Immobilier), the 200-hectare Sète land-sobriety experimentation for Sète Agglopôle, and Grand Paris Express station integration work for the Société des Grands Projets.

Urban Act's business model is professional-services based, generating revenue through competitive public tenders and direct commissions structured on construction-cost ratios consistent with French public-procurement standards. The firm is privately held with no parent company, institutional investment, or disclosed funding identified. Revenue derives predominantly from long-term relationships with repeat public-sector clients, supplemented by occasional private-enterprise engagements (Mercedes-Benz, Carrefour, Auchan) and smaller-scale bespoke craftsmanship revenue from La Remanufacture.

Name

Urban Act

Legal name

Urban Act

Website

https://www.urban-act.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Act is a Paris-based architecture and urban planning firm with ~15 professionals delivering integrated master planning, architectural design, and circular-economy building services — including an in-house woodworking workshop — primarily to French public-sector clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Urban Planning Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220), Residential Building Construction (2361), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120)

SIC

Operative Builders (1531), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning services
• Sustainable architecture
• Circular economy construction
• Landscape architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Urban Planning and Design Services: Master planning, urban studies, and landscape design services for public sector clients including cities, métropoles, and development agencies. Project-based fees for studies, plan-guides, and ongoing urban planning mandates.
2. Architectural Services: Architectural design services for buildings including housing, childcare facilities, offices, and public equipment. Fees based on construction costs with standard French architectural fee structures.
3. Wood Workshop and Craftsmanship: Custom furniture and interior fittings through La Remanufacture workshop. Services include bespoke furniture, restoration, and interior layouts using reclaimed and sustainable materials.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urban Act is an architecture and urban planning firm offering architectural design, urban planning, project management assistance, and an integrated wood workshop (La Remanufacture). The firm combines architects, urban planners, carpenters, and designers under one roof to deliver sustainable, low-carbon buildings, urban renewal, landscape design, and circular economy construction projects across France.

Product overview

Urban Act is an architecture and urban planning firm comprising an integrated team of architects, urban planners, and craftspeople. The firm operates two core offerings: architectural and urban planning services (covering urban planning, architectural design, and project management), and La Remanufacture, an integrated wood workshop that combines circular economy principles with traditional craft trades. The company specializes in low-carbon construction, material reuse, and sustainable urban transformation projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Remanufacture: An integrated wood workshop operated by Urban Act that combines circular design with craft métiers. Located below Urban Act's offices in Paris, it enables integrated design where drawing and fabrication are never separated, focusing on respecting material and its history.

Products and services

• Architecture Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 19.6 tonnes of new materials avoided (45% of building mass) for Envie le Labo project
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wagon LandscapingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026Collaborative partnership for Charenton-Meunier planting workshop. Wagon Landscaping worked with Urban Act teams and residents for planting activities in shared garden project.
• OGI (Omnium Général d'Ingénierie)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 19 February 2026Engineering partner coordinating construction works for Charenton-Meunier project under Paris Habitat development.
• Paris HabitatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026Primary social housing client for multiple projects including Charenton-Meunier transformation and Cité des Poètes development. Long-term relationship for housing development and renovation.
• Vinci ImmobiliercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Delegated project owner for Hangar Y site development. Partner in heritage restoration and park creation project involving 9 hectares at Meudon.
• Art Explora / Culture & Patrimoine / Art NovacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Project owners for Hangar Y heritage and cultural site rehabilitation. Urban Act serves as landscape and urban planning advisor and designer for this major cultural heritage project.
• Make IngénierieminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStructural engineering partner for architectural projects including Cité des Poètes development.
• Maya (Thermique et fluides)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThermal and fluid engineering consultant for building projects ensuring energy performance.
• ALP IngénierieminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEconomics consulting partner for project cost management and feasibility studies.
• Alfred Peter (Paysagiste)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead landscape architect for Branche de Croix 60-hectare urban renewal project in Lille metropolitan area, collaborating on canal renaturation master plan.
• IxsaneminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPollution assessment and remediation specialist for Branche de Croix industrial brownfield project.
• MageominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVRD (roads and utilities) engineering partner for urban development projects.
• Alpha EnvironnementminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEcology specialist for environmental impact assessment and biodiversity integration in urban projects.
• Société des Grands Projets (SGP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient for Grand Paris Express station integration. Urban Act serves as ensemble coordinator for landscape, environmental, urban, and architectural integration of multiple metro stations.
• Debarre-Duplantiers AssociéscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner for Grand Paris Express station integration project, collaborating on urban and architectural integration.
• ABF LABcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner for Grand Paris Express project focusing on urban integration and quality design.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TVK: Paris-based architecture and urban planning firm with comparable multi-scale practice spanning masterplanning, public space, and transport infrastructure. Closely aligned on French public-sector client base and large-scale urban transformation mandates.
• Atelier Roland Schweitzer: French urban planning and landscape architecture practice with comparable focus on sustainable urban development, friche rehabilitation, and ecological engineering for public-sector clients.
• Encore Heureux: Paris architecture collective with shared commitments to circular construction, material reuse, and integrated craftsmanship — directly comparable to Urban Act's La Remanufacture approach.
• Atelier Philippe Madec: French architect-urbanist with deep focus on sustainable urbanism, ecological transition, and metropolitan-scale masterplanning; overlapping client segments (métropoles, ANRU programs).
• h2o Architectes: Paris-based architecture firm combining bioclimatic design, material reuse, and circular-economy principles; comparable size and overlapping social-housing and public-sector client base.
• OXO Architectes: French architecture practice with parallel focus on social housing, urban renewal, and metropolitan-scale public projects; similar firm size and client overlap in métropoles and bailleurs.
• Atelier Georges: French urban planning and architecture firm engaged in friche rehabilitation and metropolitan masterplanning for public-sector clients in France; comparable practice scope and client profile.

Broad incumbents

• AIA Life Designers: Larger French architectural firm with dedicated sustainability practice competing for similar public-sector healthcare, housing, and urban projects; broader portfolio but overlapping circular-construction offerings.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): International architecture firm with growing circular-economy and sustainability practice; broader portfolio but relevant benchmark for sustainable masterplanning at metropolitan scale.

Emerging players

• Wagon Landscaping: Landscape architecture collaborator on Urban Act's Charenton-Meunier project; overlapping client base in French social-housing developers and adjacent design philosophy on urban ecology.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Urban Act