VOLUMES

Their core work

VOLUMES is a Paris-based private firm working at the intersection of urban design, circular economy, and governance — helping cities and regions redesign how materials (waste, packaging, plastics, textiles, wood, food) flow through urban systems. Their work is about making cities function as closed-loop metabolisms, where industrial areas become engines of reuse and resource recovery rather than linear waste generators. They contribute expertise in decision support tools, governance frameworks, and new business models that incentivize circular behavior at the city scale. In EU projects, they appear to play a consultancy and conceptual design role, translating circular economy principles into actionable urban strategies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

VOLUMES entered H2020 participation in 2019 with a rich, well-defined focus on circular urban metabolism — covering governance, decision support, incentive mechanisms, and a wide array of material streams (plastic, textile, agrifood, water, wood). Their second project, CENTRINNO (2020), shifted attention toward urban spatial transformation — specifically repurposing industrial areas — but no keywords were recorded for it, limiting direct comparison. With only two projects in a tight 2019–2020 window, there is no meaningful long-term evolution to trace; both projects appear to be part of the same intellectual and strategic agenda around circular cities.

VOLUMES is moving from material-flow analysis toward spatial and economic transformation of urban industrial areas, suggesting growing interest in how physical city infrastructure can be redesigned to support circular and innovation economies.

How they like to work

VOLUMES has never led an H2020 project — both participations are as consortium partner, suggesting they prefer contributing expertise within larger collaborative structures rather than driving project administration. Despite only two projects, they have accumulated 52 unique consortium partners across 14 countries, which points to very large, multi-actor Innovation Action consortia rather than small bilateral partnerships. This profile is typical of a specialist consultancy that adds conceptual and governance value to projects led by universities, cities, or research institutes.

VOLUMES has built a surprisingly broad network for a two-project participant — 52 unique partners across 14 countries, indicating involvement in large pan-European consortia typical of Innovation Actions. Their Paris base and Environment-sector focus suggest a network strong in urban policy, design, and sustainability circles across Western and Northern Europe.

What sets them apart

VOLUMES occupies a niche that few private firms hold: urban circular economy as a governance and design discipline, not just an engineering one. Where most circular economy players focus on single material streams or industrial processes, VOLUMES works at the city scale — across multiple waste streams, public spaces, and economic incentive structures simultaneously. For consortium builders, they bring the capacity to translate complex systemic thinking into governance frameworks and business model design that cities and municipalities can actually implement.

Highlights from their portfolio

• REFLOW
  Covered the broadest material scope of any urban circular economy project in this portfolio — simultaneously addressing plastic, textile, agrifood, water, and wood flows, combined with blockchain and open data tools for traceability.
• CENTRINNO
  Largest funding received (EUR 322,000) and longest project duration (2020–2024), focusing on a strategic and underexplored topic: how post-industrial urban areas can become innovation engines.