CEFE – Center for Ecological Studies | Montpellier

New Commercial Construction and Laboratory Renovation

The CEFE (Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology) is one of the main ecological research centers of the CNRS, with a mission to “understand the dynamics, functioning, and evolution of life.” It is a vast program that we are privileged to support.

Based in Montpellier, the center conducts long-term studies on the evolution of our environment, agriculture, resources, and societies. We are honored to contribute to this project, which we envisioned as virtuous, low-impact, bioclimatic, and fully oriented toward fostering exchange and researchers’ creativity.

The project includes a commercial (tertiary) extension with a unique, contextual form—shaped both by significant site constraints and a desire to open up to the surrounding plains and experimental greenhouses.

It also involves the renovation of a wing of the historic building — a tripod structure dating back to 1960, which houses the experimental laboratories — with the goal of improving thermal comfort and operational efficiency.