Karbon' architecture et urbanisme

What Karbon' architecture et urbanisme does

Karbon' architecture et urbanisme is a Brussels-based architecture and urban planning cooperative (Société Coopérative) founded in 2009 with 12 employees, operating from Avenue de la Couronne in Ixelles under the supervision of the Ordre des Architectes - Conseil Francophone. The firm specialises in three integrated practices: heavy renovation of post-war modernist social housing towers in occupied conditions (notably the €26M Gandhi Towers 2 and 4 in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean for Logement Molenbeekois and the €27.5M Goujons building in Anderlecht for Foyer Anderlechtois, the latter awarded the Architectuur Prijs Vlaanderen 2026 Jury Prize); gender-mainstreamed urban planning, exemplified by the 2023–2026 intersectional Gender Mainstreaming study for Perspective.brussels covering housing, mobility, public space, and the care economy; and circular/bio-based construction using straw bale, hemp-lime, local larch timber, and reused materials, demonstrated across private houses (Vignette, Baulers) and community housing (Cygnes).

The firm's core products are architectural and urban planning services delivered project-by-project, spanning large-scale collective housing renovation (up to 36,000 m² at Goujons, 378 units), public space urban-acupuncture interventions (POGGE redesigning 18,305 m²), specialist facilities such as the Maison de l'Autisme (€3.88M), cultural venues (TOF Théâtre), heritage restorations (Cité Moderne, Berchem), and metropolitan territorial studies (Brussels 2040). Underlying methodologies include prefabricated concrete balcony assembly for occupied envelope replacement, integration of gender and LGBTQIA+ perspectives into housing typology design (co-developed with partner Angela.D), and systematic in-situ material recovery protocols.

Karbon' generates revenue through professional services fees billed per project, acquired almost exclusively through public procurement (tenders, architectural competitions) and direct commissions from social housing companies (SLRB group), regional planning agencies (Perspective), and public institutions. Its go-to-market is anchored in the Brussels-Capital Region with adjacent presence in Wallonia and Flanders. Marketing and client development rely on academic visibility — publications in A+ magazine, lectures at KU Leuven/CIVA/BMA, and architecture awards — rather than commercial outreach. The cooperative legal structure (SC) aligns the firm with mission-driven practice and distinguishes it from conventional profit-led competitors, while limiting its ability to scale through external capital.

Name

Karbon' architecture et urbanisme

Legal name

Karbon' SC

Website

https://karbon.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Karbon' is a Brussels-based architecture and urban planning cooperative of 12 professionals specialising in occupied renovation of modernist social housing towers, gender-mainstreamed urban planning, and circular bio-based construction for Belgian public-sector and social-housing clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Interior Design Services (54141), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD)

Keywords

• Social housing renovation
• Architectural design services
• Urban planning consulting
• Circular economy construction
• Modernist building retrofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Bruxelles (Brussels)

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural and urban planning fees: Professional services revenue from architectural design, urban studies, and landscape architecture projects. Billed on a per-project basis through public tenders, competitions, and direct commissions from social housing companies, municipalities, and regional public bodies. Revenue is project-based and episodic, with large-scale public housing renovation projects (e.g., €26M Gandhi, €27.5M Goujons) representing major engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Karbon' is an architecture and urban planning cooperative delivering architectural design, urban studies and landscape architecture services. The firm specialises in heavy renovation of post-war modernist social housing towers in occupied conditions, gender-sensitive urban planning studies, and low-carbon individual residential projects using bio-based and reclaimed materials. Revenue comes from per-project fees charged to public housing companies, regional planning agencies, municipalities and a small set of private residential clients.

Product overview

Karbon' architecture et urbanisme is an architecture and urban planning cooperative based in Brussels, Belgium. The firm offers a portfolio of architectural services organized around distinct projects including collective housing renovations (such as the Goujons building and Gandhi towers), individual residential projects (Vignette, Baulers, country house renovations), public space interventions (POGGE urban acupuncture project), cultural facilities (TOF Théâtre), and specialized facilities (Maison de l'Autisme). The practice also conducts urban studies including the Gender Mainstreaming initiative for Brussels and the Brussels 2040 metropolitan vision. Projects emphasize sustainability through biobased materials, circular economy principles, and inclusive design approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gandhi Towers Renovation (413GAN) Heavy renovation in occupied conditions of two 1970s modernist social housing towers on Avenue Mahatma Gandhi in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, creating inclusive typologies for single mothers, large families and people with reduced mobility in partnership with SLRB and Logement Molenbeekois (€26M, 18,000 m²).
• Goujons Building Renovation (192GOU) Renovation in occupied conditions of a 378-unit modernist housing building constructed in 1976 in Anderlecht, including envelope and balcony replacement, insulation, and creation of ground floor community facilities for Foyer Anderlechtois (€27.5M, 36,000 m²).
• Maison de l'Autisme (417MAU) Autism support facility located on the Usquare barracks site in Ixelles, comprising guidance, training, encounter and research missions across four buildings with sensory garden design for SAU (€3.88M, 1,730 m²).
• Gender Mainstreaming Urban Study (402GMS) Intersectional urban planning study for the Brussels-Capital Region examining gender inequalities in housing, mobility, public space, services, leisure and accessibility through five prisms (just city, plural city, claimed city, enabling city, flourishing city), commissioned by Perspective.brussels.
• Brussels 2040 Metropolitan Vision (051BRU) Metropolitan territorial vision study for Brussels up to 2040, conceptualising Brussels as a 'horizontal metropolis' across the Dender, Senne and Dyle valleys, addressing demographic growth, employment, environment and social inequalities for Perspective.brussels.
• TOF Théâtre Cultural Centre (095TOF) Transformation of the former Monty cinema in Genappe into a cultural and civic centre including bookshop, foyer, conference hall, concert space and 150-seat theatre in glued laminated timber construction.
• Cité Moderne Berchem Renovation (278BER) Restoration and transformation of Victor Bourgeois's Bovenhuizen atypical typology buildings in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, combining two superimposed units into single-family homes while preserving listed architectural elements for Comensia.
• Vignette Individual Housing (289VIG) Individual low-carbon residence in Auderghem using biobased construction: timber frame, straw bale insulation, clay coating, reused Belgian brick and hemplime concrete partitions, with a central patio layout.
• Baulers Rural Housing (298BAU) Individual rural house in Nivelles built with local larch external structure, straw bale insulation, and wood/earth construction, designed to blend into the surrounding landscape.
• CQD POGGE Public Space (318POG) Urban acupuncture project in Schaerbeek's historic centre creating green oases, playgrounds and improved accessibility through Place Pogge and Place de Houffalize, linking Place Colignon to Avenue Louis Bertrand (18,305 m² redesigned).
• PDL Renovation and Extension (329PDL) Renovation and extension of a 1930s caretaker's lodge into a single-family home in Uccle, with lightweight timber-frame construction, mansard roof extension and double-height living space facing the garden.
• Cygnes Intergenerational Housing (334CYG) Renovation of former offices into community housing for elderly with semi-public garden and pram café at Place Flagey, Ixelles, applying circular economy principles through reuse of terrazzo tiles, 1930s oak parquet, cast iron radiators, granite with demolition aggregate, and bio-sourced hemp-lime block insulation for BinHôme.
• Country House Renovation (336BED) Renovation of a 1970s country house in Gembloux maintaining its original layout while adding extensions built with local larch wooden structure, blown cellulose insulation and natural slate roofing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 378 families housed in fully renovated 18-storey building without relocation (Goujons)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Angela.DcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Angela.D (gender perspective association) is a co-development partner on the Gandhi towers renovation project (413GAN), providing gender mainstreaming expertise. The association contributed to the gender perspective integrated across the pilot rehabilitation project, including analysis showing that women, elderly, and people with disabilities are most often assigned to the domestic sphere. Their input shaped the design of intermediate spaces, 'joker rooms', and community facilities in the renovated towers.
• Perspective (Brussels Planning Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Perspective (Brussels Planning Agency) is the commissioning client for the Gender Mainstreaming urban study (402GMS), a major intersectional analysis of gender inequalities in Brussels urban planning running from 2023 to 2026. Karbon' leads the study in collaboration with academic experts Muriel Sacco (ULB-AGS), Victor Lacôte (LGBTQIA+ consultant), and Eva Kail (Viennese gender planning expert).
• Muriel Sacco (ULB-AGS), Victor Lacôte, Eva KailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert consortium partners on the Gender Mainstreaming study: Muriel Sacco from ULB-AGS (academic gender planning), Victor Lacôte (LGBTQIA+ consultant), and Eva Kail (key figure in Viennese gender-sensitive urban policy). These experts contribute territorial analysis, LGBTQIA+ expertise, and comparative international methodology.
• Perspective (Brussels Planning Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarbon' team participated in a study trip to Vienna (Frauen Bauen Stadt) organised as part of the Gender Mainstreaming project for Perspective, comparing Viennese gender-sensitive urban policies with Brussels practices alongside Vienna and Umeå stakeholders.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 51N4E: Brussels-based architecture and urbanism practice of comparable scale with a portfolio spanning social housing, public space, and adaptive reuse across Belgium and internationally. Highly comparable in scope, mission orientation, and B2G public sector engagement.
• Bogdan & Van Broeck: Brussels-based architecture firm specializing in social housing, collective housing, and adaptive reuse. Operates in similar market segment with comparable public-sector client relationships and renovation focus.
• Architecten de Vylder Vinck Taillieu: Belgian architecture firm known for adaptive reuse, renovation, and circular construction approaches — directly comparable to Karbon's biobased and circular methodology. Award-winning practice with international recognition.
• DKV Architecten: Belgian architecture firm focused on social housing, renovation, and sustainable construction with similar scale and project profiles. Directly comparable in target clients and project typologies.
• noAarchitecten: Belgian architecture firm of comparable scale with deep experience in housing projects, public space, and renovation. Similar cooperative-adjacent positioning and public-sector client base in Belgium.
• Baukunst: Brussels-based architecture practice with strong positioning in public commissions, cultural projects, and adaptive reuse. Comparable in scale, geographic focus, and emphasis on social and cultural value through architectural practice.
• V+ (Vers Plus): Belgian architecture firm with comparable scale and strong social housing and public building portfolio. Operates in the same Flemish/Brussels architecture community and competes in similar public procurement processes.
• Lacaton & Vassal: Paris-based firm, Pritzker Prize 2021 winners, and pioneers of the occupied renovation of post-war modernist social housing estates. Karbon's occupied-tower renovation practice (Gandhi, Goujons) closely mirrors Lacaton & Vassal's foundational methodology and serves a similar social housing client base.
• Compagnie-O: Brussels-based architecture firm with strong recurring engagement in social housing, public space, and community projects. Comparable client base, project scale, and Brussels-focused practice.
• Dierendonckblancke: Belgian architecture firm with strong renovation, social housing, and educational building portfolio. Comparable in scale, Belgian geographic focus, and emphasis on adaptive reuse and sustainability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Karbon-architecture-et-urbanisme-100063501789421
• Instagraminstagram.com/karbon_be
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/karbon-architecture-et-urbanisme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Karbon' architecture et urbanisme