Urban Canopee

Urban Canopee, founded in 2016 as a spin-off from the esteemed French university École des Ponts ParisTech, is a key player in the urban greening and climate adaptation market. The company was co-founded by Hubert Michaudet and Elodie Grimoin. Grimoin, an engineer from AgroParisTech, brings a specialized focus on management and innovation, coupled with a passion for urban vegetation and biodiversity. Frédéric Madre also contributed to the company's foundation, leveraging his deep background in urban ecology, particularly in vegetated buildings, stemming from his 2014 doctoral thesis and subsequent research at the CESCO laboratory.

The firm engineers, manufactures, and installs modular, vegetated structures designed to introduce green spaces into dense urban environments where traditional tree planting is not feasible. This addresses critical issues in cities such as the urban heat island effect, air pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Its business model targets a B2B market, serving municipalities, landscape architects, construction companies, and private facility owners. Revenue is generated through the sale of its canopy structures and optional maintenance plans carried out by local landscape partners. The company has successfully expanded its operations internationally, with installations in various European countries, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Australia.

Urban Canopee's flagship product is a range of urban furniture called "Corolle," a lightweight, grid-shell structure made from composite materials that supports climbing plants. These structures are notable for their minimal footprint—as little as one square meter—while creating a canopy cover of up to 50 square meters. A key feature is the integrated "Sensopee" smart irrigation system. This autonomous, solar-powered system uses sensors and weather data to optimize water consumption and monitor plant health remotely, eliminating the need for connections to mains water or power. The modularity of the canopies allows for rapid, single-day installation and easy relocation without impacting underground services. The company is also developing new product lines for greening building roofs and facades.

Keywords: urban greening, climate adaptation, smart cities, green infrastructure, sustainable urban development, heat island effect, biodiversity, vegetated structures, composite materials, smart irrigation, IoT, cleantech, urban furniture, landscape architecture, environmental solutions, modular construction, green technology, resilient cities, urban ecology, sustainable engineering