What insolites architectures does

Insolites Architectures is a French architecture and urban planning firm founded in 2005 and headquartered in Lyon, operating as a SARL (private limited company) co-managed by three partner-architects. The firm delivers projects across four service lines: residential housing (social, mixed-income, senior, participative), public equipment (schools, fire stations, municipal buildings, police stations), tertiary and commercial buildings (offices, university campuses, mixed-use), and urban planning (EcoQuartier master planning, ZAC management, urban regeneration). Its underlying technical specialization is low-carbon and biosourced construction, with documented expertise in cross-laminated timber (CLT), timber framing (ossature bois), rammed earth (pisé), straw, stone, and high-performance envelopes achieving E3C1/E3C2, BBCA, RE2020, HQE and BREEAM certifications. Notable technical milestones include Albizzia Confluence (the first timber-structure block in Lyon Confluence, Prix Bas-Carbone 2021) and the EM Lyon Business School campus delivered in November 2023 (29,960 m², €88.9M HT construction value, HQE and BREEAM certified).

The firm operates a multidisciplinary team of approximately 30 professionals (architects, urbanists, engineers, execution project managers) distributed across four offices in Lyon, Bordeaux (opened 2015), Chambéry (opened 2021), and Roanne (opened 2024). Insolites Architectures monetizes through professional services fees on a project-by-project basis, with pricing tied to project scope, surface area, and mission type (BASE, BASE+VISA, BASE+EXE, BASE+EXE+OPC, Mission Complète). Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: the firm wins work primarily through public architecture competitions and tenders, direct commissions from private developers (Woodeum, OGIC, Kaufman & Broad, Nexity, Cogedim, ICADE), and long-standing mandates as architect in chief for public-sector clients (Grand Lyon, SERL, Dynacité, GrandLyon Habitat). Internal R&D is conducted through Insolites Lab', an in-house laboratory established in 2020 focused on virtuous construction methods. No external funding, M&A, or parent-company affiliation is indicated.

Name

insolites architectures

Legal name

SARL INSOLITES ARCHITECTURES

Website

https://insolites-architectures.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Insolites Architectures is a French architecture and urban planning firm in Lyon, with ~30 professionals across four offices, specializing in low-carbon, biosourced construction (timber, pisé, stone) for public-sector clients and private developers across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Sustainable architecture
• Urban planning services
• Low-carbon construction
• Timber construction
• Public facility design

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Urban Planning Services: Insolites Architectures generates revenue through architecture and urban planning commissions. Services include architectural design (housing, public equipment, tertiary/commercial), urban planning and development, landscape architecture, and construction management. Projects span public and private clients across France, with fees based on project scope and scale. The firm operates on a project-by-project basis, with revenue tied directly to won competitions and direct commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Insolites Architectures is a French architecture and urban planning firm that designs housing projects (social housing, mixed-use, senior, participatory), public facilities (schools, fire stations, municipal buildings, university campuses), tertiary and commercial buildings (offices, mixed-use), and urban planning operations (ecoquartiers, ZAC development zones, urban regeneration). The firm specializes in low-carbon, biosourced construction using materials such as cross-laminated timber (CLT), rammed earth (pisé), stone, and straw, with services spanning competition participation, co-design, execution, and site supervision across all project phases.

Product overview

Insolites Architectures is a French architecture firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of architectural and urban planning services. The firm operates across four main service lines: Housing (Logements), Public Equipment (Equipements), Activities & Tertiary (Activités & tertiaire), and Urban Planning (Urbanisme). The firm also maintains an internal research laboratory called Insolites Lab', established in 2020, dedicated to sustainable construction methods and eco-design practices using materials such as wood, stone, and raw earth. With approximately 30 employees across offices in Lyon, Bordeaux, Chambéry, and Roanne, the firm delivers projects spanning residential complexes, educational facilities, office buildings, urban development zones, and public infrastructure. Notable projects include Albizzia Confluence (Lyon), Campus EM Lyon, and various school and housing developments throughout the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Insolites Lab': Internal research and development laboratory created in 2020, dedicated to eco-conception and development of virtuous construction methods.

Products and services

• Housing Projects (Logements) Residential architectural services spanning social housing, mixed-income housing, participatory housing, intergenerational residences, senior housing, inclusive housing, and student housing. Targeted at public housing authorities, social operators, and private real estate developers.
• Public Equipment (Equipements) Public facility architectural services covering schools, universities, fire stations, municipal technical centers, police stations, and community buildings. Targeted at municipalities, public administrations, and educational institutions.
• Activities & Tertiary (Activités & tertiaire) Office, commercial, and tertiary-sector architectural services including office rehabilitation, conversion projects, mixed-use buildings, and university campus developments. Targeted at private developers and public/private institutional clients.
• Urban Planning Services (Urbanisme) Urban planning and development services including ZAC (Zone d'Aménagement Concerté) master planning, ecoquartier design, urban composition studies, urban regeneration, and public space planning. Targeted at metropolitan authorities, public development agencies, and municipalities.
• Insolites Lab' Internal research and development laboratory dedicated to eco-design and the development of virtuous construction methods, focusing on constructive cultures and building techniques using materials such as massive stone, wood, and raw earth (pisé). Launched in 2020 as a sub-brand of Insolites Architectures.

Quantifiable outcome

• Albizzia Confluence achieved E3C2 + BBCA Excellence certification and won the Prix Bas-Carbone 2021 and Pyramide d'Argent award
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fibois AURAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Member of Fibois AURA, the regional wood construction federation, which promotes timber construction and sustainable forest management in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
• RailcoopminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020Insolites Architectures became a sociétaire (member/owner) of Railcoop, a cooperative railway company aiming to reconnect territories through passenger rail services. This reflects the firm's commitment to ecological transition and sustainable mobility. Insolites joined as one of 1,915 sociétaires in September 2020.
• AMO (Architectes & Maîtrise d'Ouvrage)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2019Insolites Architectures is a member of AMO (Architectes & Maîtrise d'Ouvrage), an association of architects and building owners that promotes knowledge exchange, shares best practices, and advocates for quality architecture and sustainable building.
• VAD (Ville et Aménagement Durable)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2019Member of VAD (Ville et Aménagement Durable), an association bringing together professionals committed to sustainable urban development. Insolites participates in study trips organized by VAD, including visits to Rennes to study sustainable urban initiatives.
• PCA-Stream (Philippe Chiambaretta Architecte)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2019PCA-Stream collaborated with Altarea Cogedim and Insolites Architectures on the EM Lyon Business School campus project in Gerland, Lyon (29,960 m² SDP, €88.9M HT).
• Hardel & Le BihancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018Hardel & Le Bihan was the co-architect for the Albizzia Confluence project, collaborating with Insolites Architectures on the first timber-structure block in Lyon Confluence (110 housing units + 5,200 m² offices).
• Champ LibrecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerChamp Libre is a recurrent collaborator appearing across multiple Insolites Architectures projects, including Groupe Scolaire de Décines, Groupe Scolaire Des Arboras, L'Autre Soie, and others, providing complementary architectural or engineering services.
• EXIA (OPC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEXIA is a recurring project management/OPC (Ordonnancement, Pilotage, Coordination) partner appearing in projects such as Groupe Scolaire d'Injoux-Génissiat. The EXIA team is also affiliated with Insolites Architectures (same New Year's greeting signed by both teams).
• GrandLyon HabitatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrandLyon Habitat (social housing authority) is a major recurring public client, commissioning multiple residential projects including Rue Pernon and Immeuble Rosière. The relationship is built on repeat project mandates.
• SERL (Société d'Equipement du Rhône et de Lyon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSERL serves as the lead developer/aménageur for multiple urban projects in which Insolites Architectures acts as architect in chief, including EcoQuartier Monplaisir and ZAC Foch Sully. SERL is a long-standing institutional partner.
• Woodeum + UTEIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoodeum and UTEI commissioned Insolites Architectures to design the Albizzia Confluence project — the first timber-structure block in Lyon Confluence — choosing mass timber for its ecological benefits and rapid construction advantages.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PCA-Stream: Large Paris-based architecture practice; collaborator on EM Lyon Campus and broader-scale player in cultural, educational, and mixed-use French projects—an incumbent that competes on marquee commissions while also partnering with Insolites.
• Architecture-Studio: Large, established French architecture firm with global reach and a sustainability portfolio; broader scale and international footprint position it as a larger incumbent competing for the same high-profile public commissions Insolites targets.
• Laisné Roussel: Major French architecture firm specializing in residential, mixed-use, and urban regeneration projects at significantly larger scale—competes with Insolites for the same social-housing and ecoquartier public mandates.

Direct peers

• Tectoniques Architectes: Lyon-based architecture firm with a comparable focus on environmental performance, low-carbon design, and integrated bioclimatic approaches; similar scale and regional base make it the closest head-to-head competitor on public-sector commissions in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
• Encore Heureux: French architecture studio specializing in social, sustainable, and low-tech architecture across housing, public facilities, and urban projects—directly comparable project typology, client base (municipalities, social landlords), and participatory design ethos.
• Ginger Architecture: French architecture practice focused on sustainable, contextual design across housing and public equipment typologies—comparable project portfolio, similar commitment to environmental certification and participatory approaches.
• Hardel & Le Bihan: Paris-based sustainable architecture firm and direct collaborator on the Albizzia Confluence timber project; shares the biosourced-materials, low-carbon approach and competes for the same RE2020-era public commissions.
• DGT Architects: Sustainable architecture practice working across residential, public, and cultural typologies with a strong emphasis on contextual, low-impact design—directly comparable approach to Insolites' human-centered, environmental methodology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 insolites architectures