commune
commune is a Lyon-based architecture and urban planning collective of seven equal partner-architects specialising in low-tech, bio-sourced construction and participatory urban revitalisation for French municipalities, social housing operators, and public institutions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLyon, France
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What commune does
commune is a Lyon-based architecture and urban planning firm established in 2019 as a collective of seven equal partner-architects, operating from 8 rue St Jérôme in the 7th arrondissement. The firm holds Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) status and is organized around a shared atelier culture, with no external investors or parent entity. Its core practice centres on ecological and low-tech construction using bio-sourced and geo-sourced materials — hemp-lime (chaux-chanvre), raw earth, local stone, and timber — combined with passive systems such as natural ventilation and night-purge cooling. The methodology emphasises participatory urban research, axonometric field drawing, and renovation-first approaches over demolition, treating territorial sensitivity as a design constraint.
Service delivery spans architectural design (collective and social housing, student residences, transitional housing, schools, cultural centres), urban studies (centre-bourg revitalisation, commercial revitalisation, vacancy studies), and heritage assessments. Documented project budgets range from €70K (Saint-Pierre-du-Champ halle) to €31.2M (La Saulaie mixed-use lot 4), with notable commissions including the 91-unit L'Autre Soie transitional housing for Fondation Aralis, the 65-bed Les Culattes student residence for SACVL, the Maryse Bastié collective housing for In'li Aura, and a 33-municipality centre-bourg study for Moulins Communauté.
Revenue is generated entirely through professional service fees paid by public and private clients via French public procurement (marchés publics), architectural competitions, and direct commissions. The firm does not publish a rate card; fees are negotiated per project, typically on multi-year contracts. Customers are predominantly French public-sector entities — social housing operators, municipalities and intercommunalities, universities, and heritage authorities — with a small number of private developer clients. The firm additionally distributes self-published research outputs (e.g., the Givors anthropocène atlas priced at €18) and maintains academic collaborations with the Ecole Urbaine de Lyon. Geographic reach covers at least five French regions, anchored in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and extending into Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
commune firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- commune
- Legal name
- commune
- Website
- https://commune.archi
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- commune is a Lyon-based architecture and urban planning collective of seven equal partner-architects specialising in low-tech, bio-sourced construction and participatory urban revitalisation for French municipalities, social housing operators, and public institutions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
commune industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architecture and Urban Planning Services
- NAICS
- Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)
- SIC
- General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Senior Living & Assisted Living Facility Construction (IMAFACAJ)
Keywords
Where commune is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lyon
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
commune business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architecture and urban planning services: Commune generates revenue through professional architecture and urban planning service fees. Services include architectural design (housing, schools, cultural centers, social housing), urban revitalization studies, heritage studies, participatory research residencies, and architectural guidance missions. Revenue is earned through public procurement competitions, direct commissions from public and private clients, and ongoing master contracts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Self-published architectural research publication |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Architecture and urban planning professional services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
commune product offering
Product offeringCore offering
commune is an architecture and urban planning atelier offering professional design services across housing (collective, social, student, transitional, intergenerational), cultural and educational facilities, and rural/urban revitalization. The firm specializes in low-tech, ecological construction using bio-sourced materials (hemp-lime, raw earth, local stone, timber) and delivers participatory urban studies, heritage assessments, and architectural guidance to public and private clients throughout France.
Product overview
commune is an architecture and urban planning firm based in Lyon, France, operating as a collective of seven equal partner architects. The firm offers comprehensive architectural services spanning residential (collective housing, individual homes, participatory housing), cultural and educational facilities (schools, cultural centers), urban studies and revitalization projects, heritage assessments, and participatory research methodologies. Their portfolio demonstrates expertise in sustainable construction using natural materials (hemp, straw, raw earth), low-tech approaches, building rehabilitation, and participatory urban planning processes. The firm works across various scales from individual house renovations to large urban development projects and has developed specialized methodologies including 'grand dessin' (large-scale drawing) for territorial analysis and community engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architecture and Urban Planning Services Comprehensive architecture and urban planning practice delivering building design (collective housing, social housing, student residences, transitional housing, intergenerational housing, individual homes, cultural and educational facilities), urban revitalization studies, heritage assessments, participatory research, and architectural guidance to public-sector and private clients across France.
- Ecological & Low-Tech Construction Design Design service specializing in low-tech, ecological construction using bio-sourced (hemp-lime concrete, timber) and geo-sourced (rammed earth, local stone, adobe) materials, natural cross-ventilation, and passive solar strategies to deliver buildings with minimal operational energy use and low embodied carbon.
- Centre-Bourg Revitalization Studies Participatory urban revitalization studies for municipalities and intercommunalités addressing rural decline, vacancy, and loss of commercial activity. Includes territorial analysis, 'grand dessin' urban portraits, participatory workshops, strategic notes, and partnership-based delivery with urbanists, economists, and social-economy specialists.
- Heritage & Patrimonial Studies Patrimonial studies and architectural assessments of historic buildings and campuses, drawing on commune's 'architecte du patrimoine' credential (held since 2022) to evaluate architectural character, preservation needs, and heritage significance.
- Low-Tech Building Rehabilitation Building rehabilitation service applying selective thermal upgrades and low-tech passive strategies (atmospheric buffer zones, localized insulation) to improve energy performance while preserving historic and mid-century architectural character.
- Participatory Research Residencies Long-form participatory research and residency engagements combining urban fieldwork, ethnographic study, and community workshops to produce territorial portraits, anthropological dwelling studies, and strategic recommendations for public clients.
- Architectural Guidance & Pedagogical Publications Pedagogical publications and architectural guidance documents (CAUE-style) promoting sustainable and respectful building practices among private project holders, municipalities, and construction stakeholders.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% natural ventilation achieved in 91-unit transitional housing (L'Autre Soie) using cross-ventilation and four ventilation chimneys, eliminating mechanical ventilation systems
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use commune
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
commune technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
commune partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- InterlandcoreInterland (urbaniste mandataire) leads the group with Commune as architect and heritage specialist for the Moulins Communauté centre-bourg revitalization study covering 33 municipalities. Commune shares architecture, heritage, transition, and participation expertise within this 15-month study.
- BFV (architecte)coreBFV as mandataire architect with Commune as associate architect for the L'Autre Soie 91-unit transitional housing project for Fondation Aralis in Villeurbanne. Commune contributes specialized low-tech, hemp-lime construction expertise.
- Link ArchitecturecoreLink as mandataire architect with Commune as associate architect for the Lozanne cultural centre — rehabilitation of the former fire station into a cultural facility.
- Clément Vergély ArchitectescoreClément Vergély Architectes as mandataire with Commune as chief of project for the MFR Morestel outdoor school (1,700 m²). Martin Rollin from Commune serves as project chief.
- Rue Royale (architecte)coreRue Royale as mandataire architect with Commune as associate architect for the 65-bed student residence 'Les Culattes' in Lyon 7eme.
- InterlandcoreInterland as urbaniste mandataire with Commune as architect and Tribu (HQE specialist) for the Saint-Marcellin 'Guide du Bien Construire' — a pedagogical guide for sustainable construction in the municipality.
- Rond Point (architecture)coreRond Point (Joris Favennec, Florian Chevillard) and Commune jointly develop the Charte de prescriptions techniques et architecturales (CPTA) for the Cours Tolstoi commercial revitalization in Villeurbanne, supported by Ginko (engineering). Client: Société Villeurbannaise d'Urbanisme.
- Lambert Lénack (architecte)coreLambert Lénack as mandataire architect with Commune and Recita as associate architects for the La Saulaie mixed-use development (ilot 4) in Oullins ZAC, part of a broader consortium including Sogeprom and Eiffage Immobilier.
- Volume 2 (architecte)coreVolume 2 as co-architect with Commune as mandataire for the Déambulatoire rehabilitation project on the Doua campus (Université de Lyon), alongside EPCO, BE associés, GEC, Génie Acoustique, Studis, and Bobi réemploi.
- Ecole Urbaine de LyoncoreCollaborative research partnership between Commune and the Ecole Urbaine de Lyon (Université Lyon 2), producing the 'Givors, voyage dans l'urbain anthropocène' publication and conducting action-research on 'non-heroic urban forms' through iterative fieldwork and drawing.
- Cité AnthropocèneminorCité Anthropocène (Lou Herrmann) contributed the introductory text to the 'Givors, voyage dans l'urbain anthropocène' publication produced by Commune and the Ecole Urbaine de Lyon.
- Fabien Drubigny et Stéphanie Honnert (architectes)coreCommune works with independent architects Fabien Drubigny and Stéphanie Honnert on the Campus Dijon Montmuzard patrimonial study commissioned by DRAC Bourgogne Franche-Comté.
- TribuminorTribu (HQE/bio-architecture consultancy) co-authors the Saint-Marcellin 'Guide du Bien Construire' with Commune and Interland.
- UrbaniscoreUrbanis (specialist in habitat and urban renewal) is part of the group led by Interland (mandataire) for the Moulins Communauté 33-municipality centre-bourg revitalization study.
- Village VivantcoreVillage Vivant (ESS/social economy specialist) is part of the group for the Moulins Communauté study, contributing cohesion and social and solidarity economy expertise.
- AID (architecture)minorAID (économie/economics specialist) is part of the Interland-led group for the Moulins Communauté centre-bourg revitalization study.
Scale indicators18 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
commune competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
commune social profiles
Digital presencecommune compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
commune financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
commune leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
commune funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
commune 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 commune
What does commune do?
commune is an architecture and urban planning atelier offering professional design services across housing (collective, social, student, transitional, intergenerational), cultural and educational facilities, and rural/urban revitalization. The firm specializes in low-tech, ecological construction using bio-sourced materials (hemp-lime, raw earth, local stone, timber) and delivers participatory urban studies, heritage assessments, and architectural guidance to public and private clients throughout France.
Is commune a public or private company?
commune is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was commune founded?
commune was founded in 2019. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is commune based?
commune is headquartered in Lyon, France, in the Europe region.
How does commune make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and urban planning services.
Does commune have an API?
No public API is recorded for commune.
What industry is commune in?
commune's product category is Architecture and Urban Planning Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFABAE, Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders, with a secondary code of IMAFACAJ, Senior Living & Assisted Living Facility Construction. Its NAICS code is 2362 and its SIC code is 1520.