VAN ROMPAEY SARA

Their core work

E2ARC is a Belgian private consultancy operating at the intersection of architecture, energy efficiency, and nature-based urban solutions. The firm contributes expertise in sustainable building envelopes — particularly smart glass and façade technologies — as well as multi-stakeholder engagement around green infrastructure in cities. Their work spans from energy-saving switchable window technologies to broader urban resilience strategies using nature-based approaches. The company name (E2ARC) suggests a core identity linking energy and environment with architectural practice.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

E2ARC entered H2020 through a large Coordination and Support Action on nature-based solutions (ThinkNature, 2016), which accounted for the bulk of their EU funding. From 2019 onward, their focus split into two complementary tracks: energy-smart building components (switchable glass in Switch2save) and nature-based urban resilience (VARCITIES). This evolution suggests a broadening from policy-oriented NBS work toward hands-on technical solutions for sustainable cities and buildings.

E2ARC is moving from coordination and dialogue roles toward technical implementation in energy-efficient buildings and green urban design — making them increasingly relevant for demonstration-stage projects.

How they like to work

E2ARC operates exclusively as a participant, never leading consortia, which is consistent with a small specialist firm contributing focused expertise to larger teams. Despite only three projects, they have worked with 55 unique partners across 16 countries, indicating they integrate easily into diverse, large-scale consortia. This broad but non-repeated partner base suggests they are a flexible contributor rather than a hub with a fixed network.

Through just three projects, E2ARC has built connections with 55 organizations across 16 European countries — a wide geographic footprint reflecting the large Innovation Action and CSA consortia they join. Their network is broad rather than deep, with no indication of repeated partnerships.

What sets them apart

E2ARC occupies an unusual niche bridging nature-based urban solutions and energy-smart building technologies — two fields that rarely overlap in the same organization. For consortium builders, this dual perspective is valuable when projects need to connect green infrastructure planning with concrete building-level energy interventions. Their small size and consultancy profile make them an agile, low-overhead partner for Innovation Actions needing architectural or built-environment expertise.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ThinkNature
  Largest funding share (EUR 308,565) and a flagship CSA that built a European platform for nature-based solutions — giving E2ARC strong NBS network credentials.
• Switch2save
  Marks a technical pivot into smart glazing (electrochromic and thermochromic cells), showing the firm can contribute to hardware-oriented energy innovation, not just policy work.
• VARCITIES
  Running until 2025, this is their most recent and longest-running project, focused on applying nature-based solutions to improve health and resilience in real city environments.