Ducks Scéno

What Ducks Scéno does

dUCKS scéno is a French scenography and museography consulting agency founded in 1992, headquartered in Villeurbanne (Lyon) with offices in Paris and Shanghai. The firm provides specialized design and engineering services for cultural and performance venues — theaters, opera houses, concert halls, museums, science centers, and exhibition spaces — spanning the full project lifecycle from competition stage through site supervision. Its service offering integrates program consulting, scenographic design, technical development, BIM coordination, stage machinery, lighting, audiovisual systems, and museum/exhibition design, delivered by a multidisciplinary team that combines stage managers, architects, and engineers.

The company's technology backbone is Building Information Modeling (BIM) for 2D/3D coordination, enabling the integration of complex scenographic concepts into architectural plans alongside technical infrastructure for hanging systems, seating, stage machinery, and immersive audiovisual installations. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees for design, engineering, and supervision work, with no public pricing disclosed. Go-to-market relies on direct participation in international architectural competitions and competitive bidding, with projects acquired through co-development partnerships with flagship-tier architects including Renzo Piano, Kengo Kuma, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Snøhetta, Shigeru Ban, and Rudy Ricciotti.

The client base spans public-sector cultural institutions, foundations, and private enterprises across more than 13 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. Notable projects include the Philharmonie de Paris, Fondation Cartier at Palais Royal, Fondation Prada, CERN Science Gateway, L'Aventure Michelin, Musée des Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs, the Roland Garros gallery, the National Pulse Memorial and Museum in Orlando, the Yichang Grand Theater in China, the Krafton Esports Arena in Seoul, and the Dadan and Jabal Ikmah Interpretation Centers in Saudi Arabia. The firm operates with 11–50 employees and is privately held with no disclosed institutional investment.

Name

Ducks Scéno

Legal name

dUCKS scéno

Website

https://ducks.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

dUCKS scéno is a French scenography and museography consulting agency founded in 1992, designing theaters, museums, and performance venues for cultural institutions, governments, and foundations worldwide through multidisciplinary architectural and engineering services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scenography & Museography Consulting

NAICS

Museums (712110), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHAEAC

Staging, Scenic & Set Fabrication (Stages, Backdrops, Scenic Builds)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Event Production & Technical Services (AV, Staging, Lighting, Rigging)

SECONDARYMPAGAKAG

Scenic Fabrication & Set/Stage Carpentry

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Event Production & Technical Services (Staging, Lighting, Sound)

SECONDARYTHAHAAAG

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Conference & Convention Venues (Convention Centers, Civic Centers)

Keywords

• Scenography design services
• Museography exhibition design
• Stage engineering consulting
• Theatre consultant services
• Cultural venue design

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Scenographic Design Consulting: Professional engineering and design consulting services for cultural venues, providing comprehensive scenographic and museographic design from competition stage through project completion. Revenue generated through project-based fees for design, engineering, and supervision services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

dUCKS scéno is a scenography and museography agency that designs the functional, technical and experiential layers of cultural venues, including theatres, opera houses, concert halls, museums and exhibition centres. Its offering spans program and operation consulting, scenographic and museographic design, technical development, site supervision, stage machinery, stage and museum lighting, and audiovisual integration, delivered from competition stage through building completion.

Product overview

dUCKS scéno is a multidisciplinary scenographic design and engineering agency founded in 1992, offering comprehensive services for cultural venues including theaters, museums, concert halls, and performance spaces. The company's portfolio spans program consulting, scenographic design, technical development, site supervision, and specialized systems including stage machinery, lighting, and audiovisual integration. Their service modules work together as an integrated offering, from competition stage through building completion, combining the expertise of stage managers, architects, and engineers to deliver turnkey scenographic solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects span 30+ years from founding in 1992 to present

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Kengo Kuma and AssociatesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead architect collaboration on L'Aventure Michelin project in Clermont-Ferrand, combining architectural vision with dUCKS scéno's scenographic and museographic expertise for a 4,700 m² permanent exhibition.
• Renzo PianoflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on CERN Science Gateway 'Discover CERN' exhibition within Renzo Piano's architecture, designing 600 m² of immersive exhibition space dedicated to particle physics discovery.
• Shigeru BancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead architect on Dadan and Jabal Ikmah Interpretation Centers in Al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia, providing architectural framework for scenographic and museographic design.
• SnøhettaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Krafton Esports Arena in Seoul, 116,160 m² building, integrating dUCKS scéno's stage machinery and audiovisual expertise into Snøhetta's architectural design.
• OPEN ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Yichang Grand Theater performing arts center in China, 70,000 m² building with three performance halls, providing technical stage engineering.
• Coldefy (with RDAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead architect team for National Pulse Memorial and Museum in Orlando, 5,000 m² museum honoring victims of the 2016 tragedy, combining memorial architecture with powerful museographic storytelling.
• Ateliers Jean NouvelflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Fondation Cartier at Palais Royal, Paris, designing 8,000 m² of exhibition space with innovative mobile floor systems totaling 1,130 m² across 5 movable platforms.
• Rudy RicciotticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead architect on Musée des Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs in Lyon, 6,900 m² building, €30M project with innovative 'patchwork' exhibition design approach.
• GPAA ArchitecturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Galerie du tennis at Roland Garros, designing underground museum gallery and 390-seat auditorium within the historic tennis complex.
• Atelier King KongminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect collaboration on La Fleuriaye cultural center in Carquefou, rehabilitation and extension of theater and multipurpose spaces.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tait: Stage engineering and automation specialist for live entertainment venues — overlaps with dUCKS scéno's stage machinery and technical development services for theaters and arenas.
• Charcoalblue: UK-headquartered international theatre and performance venue consultant offering theatre planning, acoustics, and stage engineering — directly comparable to dUCKS scéno's scenography and stage engineering practice.
• Theatre Projects Consultants: Long-established theatre planning and stage engineering firm working on concert halls, opera houses, and performing arts centers worldwide — overlaps directly with dUCKS scéno's Cultural Venues and Performing Arts segment.
• Casson Mann: Award-winning London-based exhibition design and museography firm — directly comparable to dUCKS scéno's Museums and Exhibitions segment, particularly for permanent interpretive exhibitions.
• Waagner-Biro Stage Systems: Austrian stage engineering and scenic technology provider for opera houses, theaters, and multipurpose venues — comparable in stage machinery and technical scenographic infrastructure.
• Ralph Appelbaum Associates: Global leader in museum and visitor-experience design with similar scope to dUCKS scéno's museography practice, working on cultural, heritage, and institutional exhibitions worldwide.

Broad incumbents

• Snøhetta: Global architecture and design practice with significant cultural-infrastructure portfolio; comparable as both a frequent lead-architect partner and as a broader design firm whose scope overlaps with dUCKS scéno's projects.
• Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Iconic global architecture firm designing museums and cultural venues; a repeat client/architect partner of dUCKS scéno and a broader incumbent whose cultural portfolio intersects with the firm's work.
• Bosch Rexroth (Stage Technology): Major industrial stage-machinery manufacturer and integrator — comparable as a supplier in the broader stage engineering value chain, though at a much larger scale and with productized offerings.

Others

• Kengo Kuma and Associates: Japanese architecture practice frequently designing cultural venues; a documented flagship partner of dUCKS scéno (L'Aventure Michelin) and therefore an adjacent ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0R1T6CgEQueERJONZvFfsA/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ducks-sc-no
• Instagraminstagram.com/ducks_sceno
• Xx.com/ducks_sceno

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Ducks Scéno