Arborescence, Ingénierie des Structures Bois

What Arborescence, Ingénierie des Structures Bois does

Arborescence, Ingénierie des Structures Bois is a French structural engineering consultancy (bureau d'études) founded in 2002 and headquartered in Lyon, with a secondary office in Aime-la-Plagne (Savoie). The firm specializes exclusively in the design of complex large-scale timber structures, including spatial structures, long-span structures (40-92m), shell structures, and composite wood-concrete or wood-steel systems. Its technical scope spans glued laminated timber (BLC), cross-laminated timber (CLT/KLH), LVL, Kerto I-beams, truss systems, and prefabricated timber modules. Arborescence operates as a B2B professional services firm delivering four interconnected service lines: maîtrise d'œuvre conception within architectural teams, manufacturing studies for timber fabricators, structural diagnostics and reinforcement studies, and consulting missions including 3D seismic modeling.

The company's customer base is concentrated in the French public sector — municipalities, departmental and regional councils, fire services (SDIS), and education authorities — alongside architectural firms requiring specialized timber engineering expertise and select private developers in social housing, tourism, and commercial real estate. The firm is a founding member of IBC (Ingénierie Bois Construction), the French timber engineering trade association. Notable technical achievements include the longest wooden road bridge in France (Pont routier sur la Drôme, 92m span, 2001) and 30+ industry awards across regional, national, and international competitions.

Arborescence operates a project-based consulting model with fees determined per project scope, complexity, and surface area. The team comprises 14-18 specialists across two offices, including two partners (Laurent Clère as Managing Director since founding, Guillaume Bonnet as Associate since 2010), project managers, engineers, and CAD drafters. The firm has shown gradual organic growth since 2002, with no external funding, no institutional investors, and a recent extension of services into hybrid concrete-timber structural engineering via a 2022 hire. Revenue is generated entirely through professional service contracts, with no product, subscription, or licensing revenue streams, and no disclosed annual revenue figures.

Name

Arborescence, Ingénierie des Structures Bois

Legal name

Arborescence, Ingénierie des Structures Bois

Website

https://arborescence-concept.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arborescence is a Lyon-based French structural engineering consultancy specializing exclusively in complex large-scale timber structures, including long-span, spatial, shell, and hybrid wood-concrete systems. Founded in 2002, it serves public sector clients, architects, and developers through project-based consulting, with 14-18 staff across two offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and design services: Arborescence generates revenue through professional engineering service contracts, providing structural design, technical conception, economic analysis, manufacturing studies, and construction execution planning for timber structures. Projects are delivered as consulting engagements within maître d'œuvre teams or directly for construction companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Arborescence is a structural engineering firm (bureau d'études) providing technical conception, economic analysis, manufacturing studies, and execution planning for large-scale timber structures, including spatial structures, long-span structures, shells, and composite wood-concrete or wood-steel systems. The firm delivers engineering services within maître d'œuvre design teams alongside architects and other consultants, working from early sketch phases through execution, with specialization in glue-laminated timber (BLC), CLT/KLH, LVL, and hybrid assemblies for technically demanding timber projects.

Product overview

Arborescence is a structural engineering firm specializing in the design of large-scale wood structures. The company offers a unified portfolio of engineering services rather than a software product platform. The core offering includes four interconnected service lines: (1) Master contracting conception for technical design and economics within architectural teams, (2) Manufacturing studies for wood piece fabrication and assembly hardware, (3) Structural diagnostics and reinforcement studies for existing buildings, and (4) Consulting services for constructive solutions, seismic modeling, and partial engineering missions. The firm specializes in technically challenging projects including spatial structures, long-span structures, shells, and composite structures, primarily operating in the Rhône-Alpes region with national and international reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conception en tant que maîtrise d'œuvre (Lead Design for Timber Structures) Technical conception and economic analysis of the wood structure lot within construction projects, delivered as part of lead design (maîtrise d'œuvre) teams alongside architects and other engineering consultants. Includes tender documentation with technical plans and economic analysis, integrated from sketch phase through execution.
• Études de fabrication pour les entreprises (Manufacturing Studies for Timber Fabricators) Detailed studies that enable construction companies to manufacture each wood piece and assembly hardware for timber structural projects, including 3D modeling for workshop and site execution plans. Designed for BLC, CLT, and hybrid timber prefab workflows.
• Diagnostic / Études de renforcement (Structural Diagnostics and Reinforcement) Structural diagnostics of existing buildings covering surveys, humidity control, solidity and stability verification, and reinforcement solution recommendations for older or heritage timber structures.
• Conseil (Engineering Consulting / Partial Engineering Missions) Partial engineering missions including research and proposal of constructive solutions, validation of constructive principles, dimensioning of elements and assemblies, calculation note writing, and 3D seismic modeling. Targeted at clients needing targeted expertise rather than full design delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Longest wooden road bridge in France: 92m span (Pont routier sur la Drôme)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IBC (Ingénierie Bois Construction)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArborescence has been a member of IBC since its founding. This association brings together wood construction engineering professionals who share and collect common knowledge about their profession. The partnership provides access to collective expertise, industry best practices, and professional network benefits within the timber construction engineering sector.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• StructureCraft: Canadian timber engineering and construction firm specializing in mass timber and complex timber structures with strong design-build capabilities. Direct peer in serving ambitious timber projects for architects and developers.
• Hess Timber: Austrian timber engineering specialist with deep expertise in large-span timber structures and hybrid wood systems. Comparable in technical focus on long-span and technically demanding timber projects across European markets.
• Pirmin Jung Ingenieure: Leading Swiss timber structural engineering consultancy specializing in long-span, complex timber structures including glulam, CLT, and hybrid systems. Direct international peer with similar specialist positioning serving architects on ambitious timber projects.

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering firm with deep timber expertise and reference projects in mass timber and complex timber structures. Comparable in serving architect-led ambitious projects but with vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Buro Happold: Global engineering consultancy with established timber engineering capabilities for complex structures. Comparable on long-span and ambitious timber projects but operates at much larger scale across all structural materials.
• Egis: Large French engineering firm with a growing timber building practice and significantly broader geographic reach and scale. Represents a competitive threat as timber practice scales within larger multi-disciplinary engineering firms.
• Ramboll: European engineering consultancy with sustainability-driven timber practice serving complex building projects. Overlaps in sustainability positioning and timber expertise but operates as a large multi-disciplinary firm.
• Bollinger + Grohmann: German engineering firm with strong timber practice serving complex architectural projects across Europe. Comparable in serving architect-led ambitious timber projects but operates as a larger multi-material practice.

Emerging players

• Werner Sobek: German engineering consultancy with timber specialization for innovative and sustainable structures. Overlaps in sustainability-driven timber expertise but operates across multiple materials and scales.
• Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering: German engineering consultancy with growing timber expertise for complex geometries and long-span structures. Overlaps in serving architects on technically ambitious projects but operates more broadly across materials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arborescence-concept

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Arborescence, Ingénierie des Structures Bois