Wearth Group | April 2025 | Aqua.Strat
Wearth Group | in development
Aqua.Strat: Wearth Group’s innovative waterfront development offering
Faced with shortages of available land and tougher environmental regulations, local authorities must now find new solutions to develop their local area sustainably. With Aqua.Strat, Wearth Group provides a unique offering dedicated specifically to making the most of water in both urban and natural settings.
Aquatic spaces—rivers, lakes, and ponds—are precious natural resources that are often underused, despite being valuable assets for developing the local area and supporting tourism.
At a time when France’s Climate and Resilience law requires local authorities to meet the target of no net land take, aquatic spaces are a practical way to take a different approach to urban development.
According to a recent study, 44% of French people are dissatisfied with how rivers and banks are maintained and protected in their region, while 89% agreed that rivers are a remarkable piece of the country’s heritage.
These figures speak to people’s attachment to their watercourses and to their desire to see them better used.
Water, an underused resource with diverse potential
Aqua.Strat: custom-tailored expertise for local authorities
In light of these challenges, Wearth Group created Aqua.Strat, a tailored offering aimed at elected representatives and public decision-makers who are looking to make full use of their aquatic spaces’ potential while meeting environmental imperatives.
“A lot of local authorities want to make use of local rivers and bodies of water, but don’t have knowledge of what’s possible in technical, economic, and regulatory terms. Aqua.Strat was created specifically to support them, helping them to imagine and then realize sustainable, realistic, and attractive projects,” explains Quentin Bresson, Head of Institutional Relations at Wearth Group.
This offering is built on the knowledge and expertise developed by Wearth Group’s 13 companies, and in particular Poralu Marine, a world-renowned manufacturer and installer of floating platforms, and Marina Management & Consulting, which specializes in feasibility studies and strategic support for port and harbor operators and local authorities.
A comprehensive, fully integrated offering
Aqua.Strat offers complete eight-step support tailored to each local area:
- Understanding and defining local challenges
- Carrying out positioning and market analysis studies
- Assessing the site and conducting in-depth analysis
- Identifying and managing technical and regulatory constraints
- Creating tailored development plans
- Involving and rallying local stakeholders
- Sourcing funding and giving support with accessing subsidies
- Providing strategic support with project communication and promotion
This rigorous approach means local authorities can envisage projects including natural bathing sites, floating walkways and cycle paths, cultural and tourist attractions on the water, floating buildings, and spaces for reflection.
A sustainable, responsible, and meaningful approach
Aqua.Strat is fully aligned with Wearth Group’s DNA and its pledge: enabling people to live in harmony within their ecosystems.
As a purpose-driven company, Wearth Group designs solutions that simultaneously address the need for economic development, improve residents’ quality of life, and protect the environment.
Quentin Bresson says, “We make it possible for elected representatives to transform their aquatic spaces into powerful tools for sustainable local development.
Every project that we work on is designed to respect the ecological balance while bringing real added value to local residents and the local area.”
Projects already put in place
Wearth Group has already proven the relevance of its approach through multiple iconic projects in France and around the world.
To take two recent examples, we designed a natural pool at Bras de Grenelle in Paris and created a floating footbridge at Bourg de Pabos in Quebec, Canada, demonstrating the group’s ability to combine innovative development with major environmental constraints and high social acceptability.
Through Aqua.Strat, Wearth Group’s goal is to assist French local authorities with their plans to develop aquatic spaces.
With France’s next municipal elections just around the corner, this service offers a practical opportunity for elected representatives to meet their fellow citizens’ needs while complying with new regulatory constraints.
By turning to water as a new development space, local authorities are adopting a truly innovative and responsible approach to promote community living and a sustainable future.