CAUE de la Sarthe

What CAUE de la Sarthe does

CAUE de la Sarthe (Conseil d'Architecture, d'Urbanisme et de l'Environnement de la Sarthe) is a non-profit association under French loi 1901, established in January 1979 by the Conseil Départemental de la Sarthe pursuant to the January 3, 1977 Architecture Law. It is one of 92 departmental CAUEs in the national network federated by the FNCAUE. Headquartered at 1 rue de la Mariette in Le Mans with seven additional permanence locations across the Sarthe department, the organisation delivers four statutory missions — inform, sensitize, advise, and train — to individuals, local collectivities, schools, and built-environment professionals, all free of charge at the point of use. Its service portfolio includes Friday architecture and bi-weekly landscape consultations, strategic advisory for municipalities on urban planning and public projects, the ArchiTruck mobile pedagogical unit, the Enquête en cour schoolyard kit, an annual Prix APERÇUS award program, and a specialised resource centre housing 2,485+ works, 1,381 municipal accompaniment dossiers, and a matériauthèque of 56 ecological construction materials.

The business model is publicly funded rather than commercial. The primary revenue stream is the statutory share of the Taxe d'Aménagement (formerly TD CAUE until March 1, 2012) levied on building permits in the department, complemented by participations from communes and intercommunalités, member subscriptions from individuals and organisations, and project-specific grants from public bodies (Conseil Départemental, Région Pays de la Loire, Agence de l'Eau Loire-Bretagne, DRAC, DRAJES). Pricing for advisory services is freemium in form — free to all users — with a small portion of publications sold at near-cost. The 15-person multidisciplinary team comprises architects DPLG, urbanistes, paysagistes concepteurs, an art historian, educators, a documentaliste, a graphiste, and administrative staff, enabling integrated delivery across architecture, urbanism, landscape, heritage, and education verticals.

Operational scale in 2025 included 30 classroom interventions reaching 698 students, 7 itinerant exhibitions, 20 interns hosted, and 117 Sarthe realizations in the national CAUE Observatory (263,206 visitors in 2024). Strategic partnerships with DSDEN 72, INSPE du Mans, École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Nantes, Ardepa, SAGE Sarthe Amont, PNR Normandie-Maine, La Fabrique – Rêves de ville, and Les Cinéastes anchor both educational and cultural programming. There is no proprietary technology stack, software product, or AI capability; the operating model is human-advisory and content-driven.

Name

CAUE de la Sarthe

Legal name

CAUE de la Sarthe - Conseil d'Architecture, d'Urbanisme et de l'Environnement

Website

https://caue-sarthe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CAUE de la Sarthe is a French non-profit association founded in 1979 that provides free advisory, educational, and documentation services on architecture, urbanism, and the environment to individuals, local municipalities, schools, and professionals across the Sarthe department, funded primarily by the statutory Taxe d'Aménagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Mans

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Taxe d'Aménagement (Development Tax): Primary funding source: a portion of the Taxe d'Aménagement collected on building permits and development authorizations. This public tax was previously known as Taxe Départementale d'Aménagement (TD CAUE) before March 1, 2012.
2. Commune and intercommunalité participations: Financial contributions from municipalities or their groupings for services and support provided.
3. Member subscriptions (cotisations): Annual membership fees from individuals, enterprises, public bodies, and associations supporting the association's mission.
4. Various public and private contributions: Additional contributions from public institutions and private partners for specific projects and publications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CAUE de la Sarthe is a publicly funded non-profit advisory association that provides free consultations, educational programs, and documentation services on architecture, urbanism, landscape, and environmental quality across the Sarthe department. Its core offerings include individual advisory services (architecture and landscape consultations), strategic advice to municipalities on urban planning and public building programs, training for elected officials and professionals, pedagogical programs for youth via the ArchiTruck mobile unit, an extensive publication portfolio, traveling exhibitions, and a specialized resource center with library and matériauthèque.

Product overview

CAUE de la Sarthe is a nonprofit association (loi 1901) invested with a public interest mission, established in January 1979, that promotes quality architecture, urbanism, and environment across the Sarthe department. The organization operates four core missions—inform, sensitize, advise, and train—delivered through an integrated portfolio of advisory services, educational programs, publications, exhibitions, and resource centers. Its offerings include free consultations with architects and landscape designers for individuals and collectivities, pedagogical actions including the ArchiTruck mobile unit and Enquête en cour toolkit, over 30 publications including the Patrimoine XX collection on 20th century heritage, traveling and stationary exhibitions, the annual Prix APERÇUS Sarthe architectural awards, and a specialized resource center housing a library (2,485+ works), documentary archives, and a matériauthèque of 56 ecological construction materials. The organization also coordinates regional initiatives including the JAPL (Jeunes Architectes et Paysagistes Ligériens) selection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Free advisory services enabling quality construction and renovation projects for individuals and collectives
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Fédération Nationale des CAUE (FNCAUE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 1980National federation created May 9, 1980, grouping all CAUE departments. Enables inter-departmental networking, information exchange, and participation in national debates on architecture, urbanism, and environment. Located at 108-110 rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris.
• Union Régionale des CAUE des Pays de la LoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional union coordinating CAUE departments in Pays de la Loire (44, 49, 53, 72, 85). Responsible for harmonizing and promoting departmental action, personnel training, and representation at regional level. Located at 312 avenue René Gasnier, 49100 Angers.
• La Fabrique – Rêves de villecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural partner for architectural events and exhibitions. Hosts JAPL 2025 exhibition and related conferences (Architectures et Paysages en mouvement) at their venue in Le Mans.
• DSDEN 72 (Direction des Services Départementaux de l'Éducation Nationale)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartmental education authority collaborating on pedagogical actions, school interventions, and the 'Enquête en cour' educational kit development.
• INSPE du MansmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeacher training institute partnering on educational programs, pedagogical kit development, and training for future educators on built environment topics.
• Les Cinéastes (Le Mans)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerArt house cinema partnering for JAPL 2025 film screenings including 'Penser l'incertitude' documentary by Christian Barani.
• SAGE Sarthe Amont (Schéma d'Aménagement et de Gestion des Eaux)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater management committee partnering on water culture and landscape management projects, including 'La Culture de l'eau' guide distribution.
• PNR Normandie-MaineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional nature park partnering on landscape education and heritage awareness programs.
• École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de NantesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture school co-organizing JAPL (Jeunes Architectes et Paysagistes Ligériens) selection and regional AJAP program.
• Ardepa (Association pour la Diffusion de la Pensée Architecturale)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation for architectural thought dissemination co-organizing JAPL regional selection since its creation 18 years ago.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Architecture Foundation: UK-based independent charity promoting public engagement with architecture and urbanism — the closest international analog to the CAUE model. Runs public programs, exhibitions, and policy work as a non-statutory complement to UK RIBA/architectural institutions; useful as a comparable non-statutory advisory organization.
• Fondation du Patrimoine: French heritage preservation nonprofit that shares CAUE's public-interest mission focused on built heritage awareness and public engagement, including labels/missions program and heritage days. Operates nationally with departmental delegations, complementary rather than competitive to CAUE de la Sarthe's heritage advisory work.

Direct peers

• CAUE de Maine-et-Loire (CAUE 49): Sibling departmental CAUE with the same statutory mandate and operational model. Co-located in the same building as URCAUE Pays de la Loire at 312 avenue René Gasnier in Angers. Comparable scope covering architecture, urbanism, landscape, and environment advisory in another Pays de la Loire department.
• CAUE de Loire-Atlantique (CAUE 44): Sibling departmental CAUE in the same Pays de la Loire region sharing the identical statutory mandate (Loi sur l'architecture), governance structure, and Taxe d'Aménagement funding model. Operates the same four-mission framework (inform, sensitize, advise, train) and is jointly coordinated with CAUE de la Sarthe via URCAUE Pays de la Loire.
• CAUE de la Mayenne (CAUE 53): Sibling departmental CAUE in Pays de la Loire sharing the same statutory mission, funding structure, and operational scope. Smaller department than Sarthe but otherwise functionally identical in mandate, services, and governance.
• Union Régionale des CAUE des Pays de la Loire (URCAUE): Regional coordinating union of all five Pays de la Loire departmental CAUEs (44, 49, 53, 72, 85). Harmonizes their actions, organizes personnel training, represents them regionally, and partners on initiatives like JAPL — directly comparable to CAUE de la Sarthe's regional coordination layer.
• CAUE de la Vendée (CAUE 85): Sibling departmental CAUE in Pays de la Loire serving coastal/countryside geography with the same statutory mandate and four-mission framework. Comparable service offerings including free advisory, educational programs, and publications.

Broad incumbents

• Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine: National French institution under the Ministry of Culture for architecture and heritage awareness, including permanent collections, exhibitions, and educational programs (e.g., European Heritage Days). Comparable mission but at national scale; partners and overlaps with CAUE network on national architecture events.
• Villes et Pays d'art et d'histoire (VPAH): French Ministry of Culture label network labeling municipalities for heritage and architecture public engagement. CAUE de la Sarthe's activities (heritage awareness, educational interventions, sensitisation des publics) are complementary and often overlap with VPAH-certified territories in Sarthe.
• Fédération Nationale des CAUE (FNCAUE): National federation of all 92 French departmental CAUEs, headquartered in Paris. Provides national coordination, advocacy, and resource sharing for the network — including the Observatory database aggregating 6,647 realizations referenced by CAUE de la Sarthe. The umbrella organization for the entire model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caue-sarthe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 CAUE de la Sarthe