l'AUC

What l'AUC does

l'AUC is a Paris-based architecture and urban planning studio founded and led by Djamel Klouche, operating from offices at 47 rue de la Chapelle in the 18th arrondissement. The firm provides professional design services spanning urban masterplans, building transformations, public space and landscape design, housing developments, and cultural facilities. Its practice is organised around the 'non-plan' methodology, an incremental and adaptive approach to city-making that favours transformation of existing built fabric over demolition, exemplified by projects such as Les Courtillières (Pantin), Tour des Poissonniers (PARIS HABITAT, 2021-2025), Babcock, and Base Aérienne 217.

The firm's revenue model is professional services fees earned project-by-project from public and private sector clients. l'AUC acquires work primarily through national and international architecture competitions (e.g., Tirana masterplan, Singapore PLAB, National Archives extension at Pierrefitte-sur-Seine) and direct commissions from French ministries, municipalities, regional authorities, and private developers (Immobel, Lamotte, Quadral Promotion, PARIS HABITAT). On large projects the firm serves as mandataire within multidisciplinary consortia, partnering with landscape architects (Mosbach Paysagistes, Bureau Bas Smets), engineers (Bollinger+Grohmann, ARCADIS), and other architecture practices (51N4E, Office KGDVS, Baukuh, Jaspers-Eyers). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per engagement.

l'AUC's client base is dominated by French public-sector entities (Ville de Paris, Ministère de la Culture/OPPIC, Région Île-de-France, SPL Lyon Part-Dieu, Lille Métropole, EPAU), supplemented by private developers and a growing portfolio of international public clients across Belgium, Switzerland, Albania, Singapore, the Czech Republic, and China. The firm is internationally recognised through the Grand Prix de l'Urbanisme 2021 (France's highest urban planning honour) and the UIA 2023 Patrick Abercrombie Prize, and codifies its practice through publications including 'Grand Paris Stimulé' (2009), 'Augures' (2022), and 'How to Not Demolish a Building' (2023).

Name

l'AUC

Legal name

l'AUC

Website

https://laucparis.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

l'AUC is a Paris-based architecture and urban planning studio serving French ministries, municipalities, and private developers with masterplans, building transformations, public space design, and landscape projects, delivering work via competition wins and multidisciplinary consortiums led as mandataire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Urban Planning Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Commercial General Contracting (New Build) (IMAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Urban planning services
• Architecture design
• Landscape architecture
• Masterplan design
• Public space design

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Urban Planning Consulting: l'AUC generates revenue through professional fees for architecture, urban planning, landscape design, and related consultancy services. Revenue is project-based, earned as design and supervision fees from public and private sector clients. Projects span urban masterplans, building transformations, public space design, housing developments, and cultural facilities. The firm acts as mandataire on major competitions and commissions, sometimes in partnership with other firms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

l'AUC is a Paris-based architecture and urban planning firm providing professional design services in urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, and public space design. The firm works on residential, mixed-use, cultural, and infrastructure projects across France and internationally, often as the lead firm (mandataire) in multidisciplinary consortia. Revenue is generated through project-based professional fees earned from public and private sector clients, supplemented by authored publications documenting its research.

Product overview

l'AUC is a Paris-based urban planning and architecture firm offering professional design services and publishing. The firm's service portfolio spans urban planning consultations, architectural projects (residential, cultural, commercial), landscape design, and public space design across France and internationally. l'AUC complements its consulting work with publications documenting its research and project work, including the 'Grand Paris Stimulé' book, 'Augures' catalog from the Île-de-France Biennale, and 'How to Not Demolish a Building'. The company does not offer a software product or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Planning and Architecture Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Won the Grand Prix de l'Urbanisme 2021 — France's most prestigious urban planning award
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

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 supporting.

• Catherine Mosbach / Mosbach PaysagistescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatherine Mosbach (landscape architect) and her firm Mosbach Paysagistes are l'AUC's most frequent and longstanding landscape architecture collaborators, working together across a wide range of urban planning and public space projects including Tirana (CommonGround), Saratov, Bellinzona 2040, Fribourg, Rennes Chardonnet Baud, Locarno Les Rives, and the Tour des Poissonniers transformation. This recurring partnership constitutes a core element of l'AUC's multidisciplinary offer.
• 51N4EcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner51N4E (Belgian architecture practice) is a repeat collaborator with l'AUC on multiple high-profile projects including the How to Not Demolish a Building publication (co-editor), KANAL-Citroën competition (with Caruso St-John), WTC Brussels Nord transformation, Tangram project (Triangle éole-évangile, Paris 19th arrondissement), and Bruxelles 2040 vision. The collaboration spans urban design, publication, and architectural competitions.
• Office KGDVSmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOffice KGDVS (Belgian architecture practice) collaborates repeatedly with l'AUC on projects including Saratov urban strategy, Cityzen Four Room for Brussels (Centre Monnaie), and Bellinzona 2040 valley development. These partnerships position the firm for international urban design competitions.
• Bureau Bas SmetsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBureau Bas Smets (landscape architecture firm) partners with l'AUC on major urban projects including Chapelle International (public spaces), Lille 2030 SCOT consultation, and Montpellier 2040. Their collaboration focuses on public space and urban landscape design at metropolitan scale.
• BaukuhmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaukuh (Italian architecture practice) collaborates with l'AUC on Lake Milada international competition (Czech Republic), Fribourg Chamblioux Bertigny concept, and Caen Presqu'île urban renewal. The partnership spans multiple countries and project typologies.
• ARCADISsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerARCADIS engineering consultancy appears as a partner in the Tour des Poissonniers project (transformation team) and other large-scale projects requiring engineering expertise. Provides technical and engineering consultancy within the multidisciplinary consortium led by l'AUC.
• Bollinger+GrohmannsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBollinger+Grohmann (structural and facade engineering firm) provides engineering expertise within l'AUC's project teams on competitions including Rives de Seine (Paris Gare de Lyon), Tirana masterplan, and others requiring advanced structural engineering input.
• Fagart & FontanasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFagart & Fontana is a recurring collaborator on l'AUC projects including the Tour des Poissonniers transformation (with Mosbach Paysagistes). The firm brings architectural design expertise to complex transformation projects.
• Studio Mathieu LucassupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Mathieu Lucas collaborates with l'AUC on the Rives de Seine transformation (Paris Gare de Lyon), contributing to the mixed-use development design alongside AtmosLab and engineering teams.
• Jaspers-EyerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJaspers-Eyers (Belgian architecture firm) collaborates with l'AUC and 51N4E on the ZIN project — transformation of WTC I and II in Brussels (115,000 m²), presented at the Soft Power exhibition at S AM Swiss Architecture Museum (Basel, Oct 2024–Mar 2025).

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 51N4E: Belgian architecture and urbanism practice of comparable scale with an identical focus on adaptive transformation, public space, and European masterplanning. Direct consortium partner on multiple l'AUC projects (How to Not Demolish a Building, Tangram, Cityzen) and the closest like-for-like peer in the market.
• Agence Ter: French landscape/urbanism practice operating at the intersection of public space, landscape, and masterplanning. Comparable in scale and methodology, frequently competing for the same Grand Paris and EU sustainable-city commissions.
• KCAP (Kees Christiaanse): Rotterdam/Düsseldorf/Zurich urban planning and architecture practice of similar size, with a comparable track record of large European masterplans (Zürich, Wien, Helsinki) and a similar focus on transformation over demolition.
• TVK (Trévelo & Viger-Kohler Architectes Urbanistes): Paris-based architecture and urban planning practice of similar size, competing for the same Ville de Paris, EPA, and French public commissions. Strong overlap on metropolitan-scale masterplans and competition-driven GTM.

Broad incumbents

• MVRDV: Dutch architecture and urbanism practice with a strong track record in European masterplans and mixed-use transformations. Operates at significantly larger scale but competes for the same international public and developer-led commissions.
• Dominique Perrault Architecture: Paris-based architecture practice with a strong portfolio of public buildings and European masterplans. Comparable in positioning and Parisian base, but materially larger and more focused on signature cultural architecture.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Copenhagen/New York architecture and urbanism practice with a strong track record in masterplans, adaptive reconversion, and large mixed-use projects. Larger scale and global brand but overlapping client base in Western European public tenders.
• OMA: Rotterdam-based global architecture and urbanism firm with deep public-sector masterplan credentials. A frequent competitor on the largest international tenders (Tirana-style civic projects) and an aspirational reference point for any European urban planning practice.
• Lacaton & Vassal: French architecture practice (2021 Pritzker Prize) known for transformation and social-housing reconversion, directly overlapping l'AUC's Tour des Poissonniers and Cergy UP 70's typology. Larger team and higher public profile but same French anchor.
• Architecture-Studio: Larger French architecture practice with significant international presence (Shanghai, Paris, Dubai). Competes for the same cultural, civic, and large mixed-use commissions as l'AUC, with a broader portfolio and bigger in-house resources.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/laboratoiredestransformations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/laucparis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 l'AUC