Global Fastener News

France-based ARaymond has begun manufacturing fasteners for urban plant canopies to fight climate change.

French start-up company Urban Canopee and ARaymond connected in 2017 to design fasteners for plant canopies over cities to help combat heat, restore urban biodiversity, fight air pollution and thus improve the quality of life. Canopee is making plant-based urban furniture.

With the wind and other elements, fastening solutions can prove difficult. ARaymond adapted its automotive fasteners to fit the needs of Urban Canopee.

“A long phase of testing must take place for Urban Canopee to develop a perfect fixing and assembly solution that resists wind, weight, and is flexible enough to be folded for delivery and to fit different structures,” said Hubert Michaudet of Urban Canopee. “Through our work with ARaymond, we were able to find the solution to these fastening issues, and are excited to find a partner committed to using their engineering expertise to support our efforts to battle climate change.”

“We never stop evolving,” said Stéphane Gelibert of the 155-year-old ARaymond company. “This partnership with Urban Canopee shows how an industrial company can use its experience and infrastructure to support a young startup in making an idea become a reality. Urban Canopee’s idea to cool down cities with plants is in line with the core values of ARaymond, who holds a strong belief that we are part of the global ecosystem. We take responsibility for protecting our environment, both now and for future generations.”
Initially ARaymond supplied Urban Canopee, at no cost, with 3,000 standard fastening clips to develop early stage mock-ups, that would become Corolle.

Today Corolle provides green and autonomous urban furniture where trees cannot be planted. The lightweight structures are made from composite material on which climbing plants grow. The canopy also includes a smart irrigation system.

Since then, Corolle has been selected for use in Toulouse, Marseille, Reims, Saint-Denis and Paris in France and by private companies throughout Europe. Also Corolles are exported to the Middle East, Morocco and Australia.

Urban Canopee’s products allow city leaders to plant urban landscapes that support climate change mitigation and achieve strong certification ratios for buildings, eco-districts and cities.

In addition to meeting green regulations developing worldwide, Corolles adds aesthetics and modernity to city buildings; makes urban green planning more flexible and reduces watering and other maintenance through technology. Shade provided can cool cities by as much as 15 degrees.

Gelibert said this project is just a sample of what ARaymond can do beyond fasteners for the automotive world. “While our products have always been useful, going back to our days as a button-maker in the 1800s and through our time in the automotive and other manufacturing fields, today’s reality demands forward thinking as we battle the climate crisis,” Gelibert said. “If there’s a way we can be part of the solution, we’re happy to do so.”

ARaymond has 7,000 employees in 25 countries. The ARaymond Network designs and manufactures assembly and fastening systems. Founded in 1865, the family business invented the press stud. Web: ARaymond.com

Urban Canopee started in 2016 to cool down cities with plants. Web: UrbanCanopee.com