What AFAA Architecture does

AFAA Architecture is a Lyon-based architecture firm founded in 1999 as a SARL, employing approximately 22 staff including ~14 architects, led by three founding partners — Philippe Audart, Marc Favaro, and Anne-Sophie Rigal. The firm provides full-service architectural design across residential (including social and affordable housing), tertiary/office, public equipment (schools, universities, libraries, sports facilities), and mixed-use urban development projects, with a strong specialization in sustainable architecture certified under French HQE, BBC, Bepos, Passivhaus, and Effinergie+ standards.

The firm's core technology is an integrated design methodology that embeds environmental engineering from project inception, delivered through two affiliated subsidiaries: C+Pos (environmental engineering consultancy established 2013, providing HQE assistance and energy diagnostics) and EXEE (execution management company established 2018, providing construction site direction and architectural synthesis). This design-to-execution integration is supported by AfaaBox, an internal NetExplorer-based document management platform. AFAA has collaborated with internationally recognized firms including Herzog & de Meuron (Lyon Confluence Phase 2, Ynfluences Square), MVRDV (Only Love, Part-Dieu), and Chaix & Morel (Sky 56 high-rise).

AFAA's business model is professional services fee-based, generating revenue through architectural design commissions, project management, and execution supervision. Projects are secured via architectural competitions and direct commissions from a diversified client base spanning social housing operators (Adoma, Alliade Habitat, Est Métropole Habitat, OPAC), universities (Lyon 1, Lyon 2, Lyon 3, CROUS), municipalities (Ville de Lyon, Ville de Vénissieux), financial institutions (Crédit Agricole Immobilier), and private developers (Les Nouveaux Constructeurs). Geographic operations cover five French regions (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Île-de-France, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Occitanie), with Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as the primary market. The firm is privately held with no external institutional investment, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

AFAA Architecture

Legal name

AFAA Architecture

Website

https://afaaland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AFAA Architecture is a Lyon-based architecture firm founded in 1999 providing full-service sustainable architectural design across residential, tertiary, public equipment, and mixed-use projects, serving housing operators, universities, municipalities, and developers primarily across France, with integrated environmental engineering (C+Pos) and execution management (EXEE) subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM), Environmental & Permitting Compliance During Construction (Erosion Control, Wildlife Mitigation, Monitoring) (EUAMAFAM)

Keywords

• Sustainable architecture design
• Environmental building engineering
• Residential architecture services
• Public equipment architecture
• Construction execution management

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full architectural design services from conception to completion for residential, tertiary, public, and mixed-use projects. Revenue generated through design fees, project management, and execution supervision.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AFAA Architecture provides full-service architectural design from conception through execution supervision for residential, tertiary, public, and mixed-use building projects. The practice operates an integrated delivery model: C+Pos handles environmental engineering and HQE consulting from the design phase, while EXEE provides construction site execution management to ensure design fidelity. Services span new construction and rehabilitation across social/affordable housing, office headquarters, educational facilities, and public infrastructure.

Product overview

AFAA Architecture operates as a multi-disciplinary architecture firm with three integrated entities: AFAA Architecture (core architectural design services for residential, tertiary, and public buildings in new construction and rehabilitation), C+Pos (integrated environmental engineering office providing HQE consulting and energy diagnostics since 2013), and EXEE (execution management subsidiary handling construction site direction and architectural synthesis). The firm also uses AfaaBox (NetExplorer Workspace) as an internal document management platform. The subsidiaries work in close collaboration with architects from the design phase, ensuring environmental quality integration throughout projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services (AFAA Architecture) Full-service architectural design from conception through execution supervision for residential, commercial/office, public equipment, and mixed-use projects in both new construction and rehabilitation. Clients include social housing operators, private developers, corporate real estate, municipalities, and universities. The service spans HQE-certified sustainable design, bioclimatic architecture, and low-carbon construction.
• C+Pos — Integrated Environmental Engineering Services HQE (Haute Qualité Environnementale) assistance, energy diagnostics, and sustainable building consulting. C+Pos works in symbiosis with AFAA architects from project inception to embed environmental quality throughout the design process, supporting certification goals (BBC, Bepos, Effinergie+, Passivhaus).
• EXEE — Construction Site Execution Management Construction site execution direction and architectural synthesis services ensuring faithful translation of architectural designs to built reality. EXEE provides rigorous project follow-through from site accompaniment to construction-scale adjustments.

Quantifiable outcome

• BBC certification achieved on numerous residential and tertiary projects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• EXEEcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018Execution management structure created by AFAA partners Romain Millard and Robin Poëttoz in 2018. Provides comprehensive construction site management and architectural synthesis services, ensuring perfect execution of projects.
• C+PoscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2013Integrated environmental engineering office created in 2013 as a partnership between Thomas Laquerrière and AFAA Architecture. C+Pos provides HQE assistance and energy diagnostics, working in symbiosis with architects from the design phase to ensure environmental quality in all projects.
• Herzog & de MeuronflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational architecture firm collaboration on Lyon Confluence Phase 2 masterplan and Ynfluences Square project. AFAA served as coordinator and co-designer alongside Tatiana Bilbao, Manuel Herz, Christian Kerez, and MDP Michel Desvigne.
• Chaix & Morel et AssociésmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Sky 56 high-rise project in Lyon Part-Dieu district, combining AFAA's local expertise with Chaix & Morel's high-rise architecture capabilities.
• MVRDVmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Only Love mixed-use project in Lyon Part-Dieu, combining MVRDV's international expertise with AFAA's local market knowledge.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DVVD (Denu & Vial-Durey): French architecture firm with comparable size and portfolio in housing, education, and tertiary buildings. Active in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region alongside AFAA, with similar HQE/sustainability expertise.
• Wilmotte & Associés: Paris-based French architecture firm of comparable size and portfolio breadth, with strong credentials in cultural, residential, and sustainable projects. Directly comparable as a mid-sized French practice with sustainability expertise and a similar direct-commission and competition-driven model.
• Roland Schweitzer Architectes: Paris-based French architecture firm with comparable portfolio in social housing, education, and sustainable design. Similar scale and direct engagement with public-sector clients and housing authorities.
• AREP: French multidisciplinary firm combining architecture, engineering, and urban planning, owned by SNCF Group. Directly comparable integrated design-engineering model (akin to AFAA + C+Pos + EXEE) serving public and infrastructure clients.
• Architecture-Studio: Major French architecture firm headquartered in Paris with international reach, active across housing, education, cultural, and public projects. Comparable in multi-disciplinary architectural service offering and competition-driven project acquisition, though larger and more international than AFAA.
• Atelier Roland Castro: French urban architecture practice with comparable activity in housing, urban renewal, and large-scale mixed-use projects. Similar competition-driven business model serving French public and private developers.
• Triptyque Architecture: French sustainable architecture firm with comparable focus on HQE/environmental design and integration of architecture with environmental engineering. Smaller in scale but highly comparable on sustainability positioning and project typologies.
• Patriarche: French architecture and engineering group with similar integrated design-build approach and significant activity in residential, tertiary, and public projects. Comparable on integrated service model, though larger in scale than AFAA.

Others

• Herzog & de Meuron: Swiss international architecture firm collaborating with AFAA on Lyon Confluence Phase 2. Listed as a peer because they co-design the same flagship projects, providing indirect comparison on project scale, sustainability approach, and design philosophy, though not a direct commercial competitor at AFAA's scale.

Emerging players

• Encore Heureux: French architecture practice with strong focus on circular economy, reuse, and sustainable construction. Comparable environmental design philosophy but smaller scale and more specialized in rehabilitation/reuse projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afaa-architecture
• Instagraminstagram.com/afaa.architecture/?hl=fr
• Pinterestpinterest.fr/afaa0084/_saved

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 AFAA Architecture