Interview with Pierre-Louis Guhur, CEO and founder of Argile

Batinfo: Who is Argile aimed at and what problem does it solve?

Pierre-Louis Guhur: Argile is designed for all professionals who design, sell, and carry out energy renovation projects: tradespeople, construction SMEs, specialized installers, as well as large groups in the sector and their networks. Today, these players face an impossible equation. On the one hand, individuals expect quick, clear, and quantified answers. On the other hand, a renovation project requires highly specialized technical, regulatory, and financial expertise: building assessment, sizing, Energy Savings Certificates (CEE), MaPrimeRénov', eco-PTZ loans, site monitoring, etc. As a result, the time spent on each case is enormous, and many opportunities are lost along the way. Our objective is simple: to enable any salesperson or field technician to deliver, in just a few minutes, the level of analysis of an experienced engineer.

Batinfo: How does Argile address this need, and what makes your approach innovative?

Pierre-Louis Guhur: We've built a platform that supports construction companies throughout the entire customer journey, built around three pillars: design and sales assistance, project financing for individuals, and site preparation and monitoring. At the heart of our innovation is a 3D reconstruction technology powered by artificial intelligence. From a simple video taken with a smartphone during a site visit, Argile reconstructs the building in 3D, automatically calculates surfaces, identifies walls and their orientations, and runs thermal simulations compliant with regulations. We start with a deterministic physics base, meeting regulatory standards, which we progressively enrich with models trained on over 100.000 buildings scanned by our users. It's this combination—building physics plus AI—that allows us to go far beyond a simple modeling tool: we deliver a true business copilot.

Batinfo: In concrete terms, how is the solution deployed at your clients' sites?

Pierre-Louis Guhur: The platform is intentionally very user-friendly. A professional can create their lead generation simulator on their website in minutes, qualify leads remotely using enriched data (energy performance certificate, cadastral data, building history), and then conduct site visits using just their phone. 3D reconstruction, surface area calculation, quote preparation, and the creation of Energy Savings Certificates (CEE) or MaPrimeRénov' applications are all automated. Tradespeople report up to a 30% increase in quote conversion rates and up to 80% time savings per project. We are deploying across more than 2,000 companies, which analyze over ten thousand homes each month via the platform. We have also established strategic partnerships with major players in the industry, such as Viessmann, Thermor, Effy, and HomeServe, to integrate our technological components seamlessly into their installer networks.

Batinfo: What are your ambitions for the coming months?

Pierre-Louis Guhur: Our conviction is that the building sector remains a black box: no one can truly "see" what's happening inside on a large scale. This hinders trust, funding, and ultimately, the execution of projects. With Argile, we want to remove this barrier and put expertise in the pocket of every professional. In the short term, our priority is to support small tradespeople, who represent nearly 90% of the market, and to democratize access to financing mechanisms. In the longer term, we are building the "world model" for the building sector, serving the entire industry: construction companies, distributors, manufacturers, financiers, and insurers. The stakes go beyond mere renovation: it is essential to meeting the European target of reducing residential energy consumption by 16% by 2030.

Interview with Pierre-Louis Guhur, CEO and founder of Argile (LinkedIn).