Asylum

What Asylum does

Asylum is a Lyon-headquartered 3D visualization studio founded in 1995 that serves the French architecture, urban planning, and construction sectors. The company produces photorealistic perspective renders (Perspective 3D), animated films with drone tracking (Film 3D), 360° virtual tours including VR (Visite Virtuelle 3D), comparative simulations for competition juries (Insight 3D), interactive territorial maps (District 3D), sunlight and thermal simulation (Héliodon), and physical 3D-printed models augmented with projected AR (PAAM's Design and PAAM's Town). Underlying capabilities combine classic CGI rendering with the proprietary PAAM platform, which is distributed exclusively in France by Asylum under a partnership with HOOPP, and with the Label 3DRéelle certification framework that documents visual fidelity and geographic accuracy for public-sector communications.

The company operates a project-based professional services model, quoting per engagement and delivering from its Lyon studio, with no evidence of subscription or recurring product contracts. Customers are segmented across three primary groups: architects and real estate developers (using visualization to win competitions and communicate design intent), local authorities and urban planners (using maps, physical AR models, and comparative simulation for citizen consultation and public communication), and construction companies and engineering firms (using phasing visualizations, site layout, and methodology films for bids). The named customer base includes EDF, Eiffage Construction, Engie Solutions, SPL Lyon Confluence, Patriarche, AIA Life Designers, EM2C, Soho Architecture, Ville de Dreux, and CFAie Val-de-Reuil, alongside numerous mid-sized architecture and urban planning firms.

Asylum is a privately held French SAS with nominal share capital of €10,000, founder/management-owned with no disclosed external investors, and led by CEO Christophe Bertrand. The studio employs approximately 20 multidisciplinary staff and participates in French industry forums such as UNAM's Forum de l'Aménagement Durable. There are no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or M&A activity, and the company is not on a hyper-growth trajectory; rather, it is a long-tenured, specialized boutique operating on a 100% in-house Lyon production model with selective expansion into productized offerings (Infinity 3D, Label 3DRéelle) and deeper public-sector penetration.

Name

Asylum

Legal name

ASYLUM

Website

https://asylum.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Asylum is a Lyon-based 3D visualization studio serving French architects, local authorities, real estate developers, and construction firms with photorealistic renders, animated films, virtual tours, interactive territorial maps, environmental simulation, and patented 3D-printed AR physical models for competitions, citizen consultation, and project communication.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 3D Visualization Services: Project-based professional services delivering photorealistic 3D renders, animated films, virtual tours, interactive maps, physical models, and comparative simulations to architects, developers, local authorities, and construction companies across France. Revenue is generated per project or per deliverable, with no evidence of recurring subscription contracts with end customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Asylum is a Lyon-based 3D visualization studio that produces photorealistic renders, animated films, 360° virtual tours, interactive 3D maps, comparative competition simulations, environmental analyses and physical 3D-printed models with projected augmented reality for architecture, urban planning and construction projects. The studio delivers project-based professional services directly to architects, real estate developers, public-sector local authorities and construction companies across France, supported by proprietary tools including PAAM, Infinity 3D, District 3D, Insight 3D and Héliodon.

Product overview

Asylum is a Lyon-based 3D visualization studio serving architecture, urban planning, and construction sectors since 1995. Their offering spans the full project lifecycle from early-stage competitions through construction visualization. Core products include Perspective 3D (photorealistic renders), Film 3D (animated presentations with motion design and tracking video), and Infinity 3D (real-time unlimited rendering). Immersive experiences are delivered through Visite virtuelle 3D (360° tours with VR support) and physical AR models (PAAM's Design for architecture, PAAM's Town for urban planning). Decision-support tools include Insight 3D (competition comparison), Héliodon (sunlight simulation), District 3D (interactive territorial maps), and Slider avant/après (before/after comparison). Construction-specific solutions cover phasing visualization and methodology films. The studio operates on a 100% made-in-Lyon production model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• District 3D: Interactive 3D mapping solution for territorial representation and citizen consultation.
• Insight 3D
• PAAM's Town
• PAAM's Design
• Infinity 3D
• Héliodon

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 citizen visitors within days of opening Dreux's Maison des Projets featuring PAAM's Town
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HOOPPcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2025Asylum is the exclusive distributor in France of PAAM (Maquette Physique Augmentée / Augmented Physical Model), a patented solution combining 3D-printed physical urban models with projected AR video animations. This partnership enables Asylum to offer the PAAM's Town interactive urban model and PAAM's Design architectural model products. The collaboration was showcased at the UNAM Forum de l'Aménagement Durable in April 2025, where Asylum co-presented with HOOPP as the technology partner.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kilograph: US-based experiential design and visualization studio producing renders, animation, VR/AR, and interactive tools for architecture and real estate. Comparable to Asylum on the breadth of visualization services, including emerging physical/AR work, and B2B project model.
• Brick Visual: Lithuania-headquartered architectural visualization studio producing photorealistic renders, animations, and VR for global architecture, real estate, and urban planning clients. Directly comparable to Asylum in service mix, customer segments (architects, developers, public sector), and project-based professional services model.
• Hayes Davidson: UK-based architectural visualization firm specializing in photorealistic renders, animation, and interactive media for architecture and property development. Closely comparable to Asylum on offering, customer base (architects and developers), and high-end visualization focus.
• Beauty & The Bit: Spain-based architectural visualization firm producing high-end renders, films, and real-time experiences for architecture, real estate, and property development. Comparable to Asylum on offering, European market focus, and B2B professional services model.
• Luxigon: Paris-based architectural visualization studio serving architecture, real estate, and urban planning clients with renders, animation, and interactive media. The closest direct French competitor to Asylum in terms of geography, customer segments, and service model.
• DBOX: International creative agency producing film, design, and immersive experiences for real estate, architecture, and entertainment clients. Comparable to Asylum in delivering high-end 3D visualizations and storytelling for major architectural and urban development projects.
• Mir: Norway-based architectural visualization studio providing renders, animation, VR, and interactive tools for architects and developers in Europe. Directly comparable to Asylum on European market positioning, customer segments, and visualization service offering.
• Neoscape: US-based creative studio producing architectural visualization, animation, and interactive experiences for real estate developers, architects, and urban planners. Directly comparable to Asylum across the same end-to-end visualization stack and customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• Autodesk: Global software incumbent whose 3ds Max, Revit, and Twinmotion products underpin the architectural visualization ecosystem used by Asylum and its clients. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose tools Asylum's team relies on, and which increasingly bundles visualization capabilities that compete with parts of Asylum's offering.
• Dassault Systèmes: French software incumbent whose 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides 3D design, simulation, and urban planning capabilities used by architects, urban planners, and construction firms. Adjacent to Asylum's territory as a broad incumbent offering overlapping visualization and simulation as part of a much wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Agence3DAsylum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/11461567
• Instagraminstagram.com/studio3d_asylum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asylum