What LFA . Looking For Architecture does

LFA . Looking For Architecture is a French architecture practice founded in 2006 by Laurent Graber and Antoine Trollat, headquartered in Lyon with a secondary presence in Paris and a team of approximately nine people. Its work spans six productised service lines: full architectural and urban-design services, scenography and exhibition design, modular and demountable construction (using shipping-container and prefabricated timber modules), cultural-heritage rehabilitation of protected monuments, urban public-space design, and cultural programming operated through the co-founded ALF association at 27 rue Danton in Lyon.

The firm differentiates through expertise in transforming industrial brownfield sites into cultural and community spaces, demountable modular construction using containers and prefabricated timber, large-scale scenographic installations for festivals, and sensitive interventions in heritage-protected buildings. Notable technical and portfolio evidence includes the Modul'Air project (Trophée Eiffel 2022, Équerre d'Argent nomination), the O.I.V. headquarters in Hôtel Bouchu d'Ernesto (won 2021 international competition), the €15.75M Ninkasi Fabriques brewery in Tarare, and scenography for the Nuits Sonores festival across fifteen-plus consecutive editions since 2009.

Commercially, LFA operates as a project-based professional-services firm, generating revenue from architecture and design fees calculated as percentages of construction cost (or as fixed design fees) for institutional, commercial, cultural, healthcare, and residential clients. Project sizes range from around €5,600 on small scenography commissions to €15.75M construction cost on large industrial builds. Go-to-market relies on public procurement competitions (concours), direct private commissions, and co-traitant partnerships with lead architecture firms such as ALEP Architectes and Calq Architectes. The firm is founder-owned and privately held, with no disclosed external funding, no public listing, and minimal reliance on automated or AI-driven tooling.

Name

LFA . Looking For Architecture

Legal name

LFA . Looking For Architecture

Website

https://lookingforarchitecture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LFA is a Lyon-based French architecture practice of nine people founded in 2006, delivering architectural design, scenography, modular construction, and heritage rehabilitation services for public institutions, cultural organisations, and private clients across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Scenography exhibition design
• Heritage building rehabilitation
• Modular construction design
• Urban public space design

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture services including project design, construction management, and architectural consultation for institutional, commercial, and residential clients. Revenue generated through project-based fees calculated as a percentage of construction costs or fixed fees for design services.
2. Scenography and Installation Design: Design of temporary installations and scenography for cultural events, festivals, and exhibitions, including long-standing collaboration with Nuits Sonores festival and Biennale de Lyon

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LFA is a Lyon-based architecture firm delivering full architectural design services spanning residential, commercial, cultural, and public projects. The firm specializes in scenography for cultural events (notably Nuits Sonores festival since 2009), modular and demountable construction using containers and prefabricated wood, heritage building rehabilitation of protected monuments, and urban public space design. Projects range from €5,600 mobile scenography installations to €15,750,000 industrial facility construction.

Product overview

LFA . Looking For Architecture is an architecture and urban design firm based in Lyon, France. The firm offers a comprehensive portfolio of architectural services organized around six core practice areas: general architecture and urban design, scenography and exhibition design, modular and temporary construction, cultural heritage rehabilitation, public space design, and cultural programming through its ALF association. Projects span diverse typologies including healthcare facilities, cultural venues, restaurants, workspaces, housing, and large-scale festivals, with a focus on sustainable practices, material reuse, and adaptive reuse of existing structures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture and Urban Design Services Full-service architecture firm providing architectural design, urban planning, rehabilitation, and spatial design for residential, commercial, cultural, and public projects. Serves institutional, commercial, and private residential clients through project commissions and competitions.
• Scenography and Exhibition Design Design of scenography and exhibition installations for cultural events, festivals (including Nuits Sonores), art exhibitions, and performing arts venues. Creates immersive environments through use of containers, scaffolding, pallets, and lighting design.
• Modular and Temporary Construction Design and implementation of modular buildings, temporary installations, and container-based construction solutions for adaptive reuse and interim uses. Projects include fully demountable and relocatable modular housing units and container-based workspaces.
• Cultural Heritage Rehabilitation Specialized renovation and rehabilitation of historic buildings, monuments, and heritage sites including historic hotels and industrial heritage. Integrates contemporary design interventions while respecting protected heritage status.
• Urban Public Space Design Design of public spaces, plazas, and urban furniture installations including landscape integration and sustainable urban development projects for municipalities and public agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple projects successfully completed across France over 20 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• ALEP ArchitectescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration on O.I.V. headquarters project where ALEP served as architecte mandataire (lead architect) and LFA as architecte co-traitant (co-contracting architect). Also partnered on Neyret project (2029) where ALEP is mandataire and LFA is associated architect.
• Calq ArchitectescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration where LFA serves as MOEx Technique and Calq as MOEx Admin & OPC on projects including Modul'Air and Les ateliers CAPSA. Also collaborated on Vaugirard apartment project.
• CAPSA ContainercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPreferred container transformation partner working on multiple projects including Ack'Lab (Fab-Lab with ENSAL), Maison du Projet Gratte-Ciel, and Modul'Air. CAPSA transforms maritime containers into architectural modules.
• Collectif Pourquoi Pas!?majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative architecture collective involved in L'Autre Soie project and Observatoire du Temps Présent installation in Grenoble. Known for participatory architecture approaches.
• Superscript²majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraphic design and signage studio that has worked with LFA on multiple Nuits Sonores festival installations and various architectural projects, creating visual identity and wayfinding systems.
• École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Lyon (ENSAL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient for Ack'Lab Fab-Lab project. Ongoing relationship with architecture school for specialized technical facilities and pedagogical spaces.
• Association Arty FartycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership (since 2009) providing scenography for Nuits Sonores festival, one of Europe's leading electronic music festivals. LFA has designed installations for over 15 consecutive editions.
• La Biennale de LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration for Biennale d'Art Contemporain installations including 2019 edition in former Fagor Brandt factories and 2024 edition.
• ALF (Association Loi 1901)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded cultural association at 27 rue Danton, Lyon, serving as a gallery and meeting place. LFA founders Laurent Graber and Antoine Trollat are members alongside Marie Bassano and Paul Raguénès. ALF hosts art exhibitions, architectural book launches, and cultural events.
• SDCC (Société des Charpentes et Couvertures)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWood frame workshop in Grenoble that prefabricates modular housing units for La Motte Servolex project. Units are assembled on-site and are fully demountable and relocatable.
• Éditions 205majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher of 'Looking For Architecture – Dialoguer avec les milieux habités', exploring the firm's architectural philosophy and projects. Part of the AAA (architecture, urbanisme, paysage) collection.
• Yves Caizergues Lighting DesigncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLong-standing collaboration on Nuits Sonores festival installations since 2009, providing lighting design expertise for immersive scenographic environments.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Encore Heureux Architectes: Paris-based architecture studio with a comparable profile: scenography for festivals and exhibitions, temporary architectures, and heritage intervention projects. Like LFA, they blend cultural-event commissions with socially-engaged permanent architecture, making them a closely aligned French boutique peer.
• Tolila+Gilliland: Paris-based architectural practice working across residential, cultural, and scenographic commissions, with a similar project-style sensibility. Comparable size and typology to LFA, including adaptive-reuse cultural and housing projects.
• Atelier Construire: Lyon-based architecture studio operating at a similar boutique scale, with a portfolio of public facilities, residential, and cultural projects in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. A direct regional peer for the same local competition and client ecosystem.
• Croixmariebourdon Architectes: Paris architectural practice with comparable multi-sector profile spanning cultural, residential, and scenographic projects. Similar French-boutique operating model with emphasis on conceptual design quality.

Emerging players

• Wagon Landscaping: Paris-based landscape and urban design practice working at the intersection of landscape architecture and scenography. Overlaps with LFA on urban public space, landscape-sensitive design, and event scenography commissions.
• Atelier Julien Boidin: French architectural studio working in scenography, cultural events, and adaptive reuse at small studio scale. Overlaps with LFA in scenographic installations and small-format cultural commissions.

Broad incumbents

• Architecture-Studio: Major French architecture practice with extensive portfolio of public, cultural, and urban projects, including competitions across continents. Provides a broad-institutional comparison point for the same public-procurement concours ecosystem LFA competes in.
• ECDM Architectes (Combarel Marrec): Established French architecture firm with significant heritage, cultural, and large-scale public building portfolio. Comparable in heritage and cultural typologies but operating at a larger scale than LFA, positioning them as a broad incumbent peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lfa-looking-for-architecture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 LFA . Looking For Architecture