Vib Architecture
VIB Architecture is a Paris-based, SARL-structured architecture firm of about twenty architects, co-founded by Bettina Ballus and Franck Vialet. It designs large-scale public and institutional buildings — research centers, healthcare education facilities, universities, and residential projects — across France and Germany.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Vib Architecture does
VIB Architecture is a privately held French architecture firm (SARL, share capital €12,000) headquartered at 8 rue Henner in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, with a second base in Bordeaux. Founded in 2002 by Franck Vialet (initially as Vialet Architecture) and rebranded to VIB Architecture in 2013 when co-founder Bettina Ballus joined as an equal partner, the firm today comprises approximately twenty architects serving public and institutional clients across France and Germany. Its core service is full-scope architectural design and construction coordination for large-scale buildings, delivered primarily through winning public design competitions and direct commissions.
The firm specializes in technically demanding typologies — research centers (Neurocampus Bordeaux, CEFE Montpellier, Ulm Trauma Center), healthcare education facilities (Institut de l'Audition, Paris Surgical School, IFSI/IFPE nursing schools), higher education buildings (MathSTIC at Sorbonne Paris Nord, EASE Strasbourg), and selective residential and urban logistics projects (The NORWAY Caen, HLU Nanterre). Its technical platform is built around a BIM Program process coordinated by CSTB that enables automatic program verification across the building lifecycle, combined with bioclimatic, low-carbon design expertise reflected in RE 2020, E3C1, HQE BDv4 Very Good, and BDF certifications. Projects are executed with a recurring bench of specialist partners covering structural, environmental, fluid, landscape, and clean-room engineering.
VIB operates a project-fee professional services model with revenue derived from architectural fees on construction projects typically valued between €12M and €35.6M. Acquisition is sales-led via competitions and direct commissions to government agencies, universities, research institutions (CNRS, ANSES, ANSM, AP-HP, RIVP), and a small number of private developers (POSTE IMMO, SEDELKA). Geographic reach spans most French metropolitan regions plus select projects in Germany (Ulm, Dresden); the firm maintains awareness through architectural press (Le Moniteur, AMC, Architectural Record) and SIMI 2023 Grand Prix recognition. No external institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiary ownership is disclosed beyond the wholly owned Bordeaux branch.
Vib Architecture firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vib Architecture
- Legal name
- vib architecture SARL
- Website
- https://vibarchitecture.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- VIB Architecture is a Paris-based, SARL-structured architecture firm of about twenty architects, co-founded by Bettina Ballus and Franck Vialet. It designs large-scale public and institutional buildings — research centers, healthcare education facilities, universities, and residential projects — across France and Germany.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vib Architecture industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (541310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)
Keywords
Where Vib Architecture is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Vib Architecture business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture services including design, design and construction coordination for public and private projects including research centers, educational facilities, healthcare buildings, and residential developments.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Vib Architecture product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VIB Architecture is a Paris-based architecture firm providing comprehensive architectural design, coordination, and project management services for large-scale public and institutional buildings. Its work spans research centers, healthcare and educational facilities, residential and mixed-use developments, and industrial-to-logistics transformations across France (with selected projects in Germany). The practice combines sustainable, bioclimatic, and low-carbon design approaches with BIM-based collaborative project management coordinated by CSTB, delivering projects typically valued above €12 million.
Product overview
VIB Architecture is an architectural firm based in Paris, France, offering comprehensive architectural design services. The firm operates as a single unified practice with approximately twenty architects, providing services across multiple building typologies including healthcare facilities (Audition Institute, IFSI nursing schools), educational institutions (Paris Surgical School, EASE training center), research centers (Neurocampus, CEFE), and residential/mixed-use developments (The NORWAY). The firm emphasizes a creative and responsible design approach, incorporating sustainable engineering and low-carbon construction methods. Services include design, design and construction coordination, and project management for large-scale buildings (>20M€) throughout France.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architectural Design Services Comprehensive architectural design, coordination, and project management services for offices, residential, research centers, educational, and cultural facilities throughout France. Delivered for public and institutional clients typically commissioning projects above €12 million.
- Healthcare Facility Design Specialized architectural design services for healthcare facilities including research laboratories, medical training centers, and institutes such as the Institut de l'Audition in Paris 12 (4,160 m² rehabilitation, RIVP).
- Educational Facility Design Design services for educational institutions including nursing schools, universities, training centers, and research laboratories — exemplified by the EASE training center for pharmaceutical industry at Strasbourg University (4,290 m², €12M).
- Research Center Design Specialized architectural services for research centers including laboratories, clean rooms, and neuroscience facilities — exemplified by the Neurocampus Centre Broca in Bordeaux (13,000 m² new + 1,300 m² renovation, €32M) for Région Nouvelle Aquitaine.
- Residential and Mixed-Use Development Design Design services for residential buildings and mixed-use developments combining housing, commercial spaces, and public amenities — exemplified by The NORWAY in Caen (8,000 m², €12M) for SEDELKA.
- Urban Logistics Design Transformation and redesign of industrial and postal logistics facilities into modern urban logistics hubs — exemplified by the HLU Urban logistics hotel in Nanterre (16,000 m², €22M) for Poste Immo, preserving 95% of existing floors.
Quantifiable outcome
- RE 2020 with 2025 levels - 55kWh/m² energy performance
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Vib Architecture
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Vib Architecture technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Vib Architecture partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment)coreCSTB coordinates the BIM Program process for VIB projects, offering collaborative and innovative BIM tracking throughout the entire lifecycle of buildings. This partnership enables automatic program verification and supports sustainable building development.
- ARTELIA Le HavremajorFull technical engineering partner for projects including the IFSI nursing school and parking silo in Evreux. Provides all-trades engineering services.
- EODD Ingénieurs ConseilsmajorEnvironmental engineering partner for projects like the IFSI in Evreux, ensuring sustainability and environmental performance compliance.
- SIBATmajorEngineering and cost consultancy partner for projects including The NORWAY residential development in Caen.
- OtemajorEngineering partner for the CEFE project in Montpellier providing technical engineering services.
- OteliominorEnvironmental engineering partner for the CEFE project in Montpellier.
- BATISERFmajorStructural engineering partner for the EASE training center in Strasbourg.
- CERIS EngineersmajorFluids and clean room engineering partner for the EASE training center, specializing in pharmaceutical environment requirements.
- CbxsminorPartner architect for the ANSES/ANSM research center project in Lyon.
- Big BangminorLandscape architecture partner for the ANSES/ANSM project in Lyon.
- EPAURIFcoreAssists Université Sorbonne Paris Nord in the MathSTIC project, representing the public university client.
- AltereamajorDesign brief/programming partner for the CEFE project in Montpellier.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Vib Architecture competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wilmotte & Associés: Paris-based architecture and interior design practice with strong cultural, institutional, and urban mixed-use portfolio. Comparable because it competes for the same type of large-scale French public commissions and shares a similar brand-led, award-recognised positioning.
- Architecture-Studio: Major Paris-headquartered practice with multi-office international presence and a portfolio spanning cultural, educational, research, and urban projects. Comparable as a direct competitor for large French and international institutional architecture commissions, including research and higher-education typologies.
- Jean-Paul Viguier et Associés: Paris-based architecture firm with comparable scale and a parallel practice in large-scale institutional, corporate, and research buildings. Directly comparable because Ballus trained at JP Viguier and VIB competes for the same tier of French public/institutional commissions.
- Dominique Coulon & Associés: Strasbourg-based practice focused on public cultural, educational, and social infrastructure with strong design identity. Comparable as a French mid-size practice specialising in publicly commissioned institutional buildings and competing for similar public-sector competitions.
- TANK Architectes: Paris-based practice known for sustainable, low-carbon, and material-driven institutional architecture (notably schools and housing). Comparable because it pursues the same French public-sector briefs with similar values-driven, sustainable design positioning.
- King Kong (architectes): Paris collective-style practice focused on social housing, education, and public-interest architecture. Comparable as a French practice of similar size competing for the same public-sector and sustainable-design briefs.
- Baumschlager Eberle Architekten: European practice with deep expertise in sustainable, energy-efficient architecture across Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and France. Comparable as a direct peer on the same sustainability-first positioning and cross-border Central European institutional commissions.
Emerging players
- Atelier 2/3/4: Paris-based emerging practice focused on research, education, and cultural buildings with a sustainability emphasis. Comparable as a younger French firm pursuing the same research and higher-education typologies VIB specialises in.
Broad incumbents
- Foster + Partners: Global practice with a strong research and laboratory portfolio (e.g., for CERN, Apple, Bloomberg) and an established sustainability practice. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing in the same research-facility and sustainable-building category, though operating at a much larger scale.
- Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Internationally renowned practice delivering large-scale research, cultural, healthcare, and educational buildings worldwide. Comparable because RPBW actively competes for the most prestigious research and healthcare research facilities of the type VIB delivers, though at a much larger scale and global footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vib Architecture social profiles
Digital presenceVib Architecture compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Vib Architecture financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vib Architecture leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Vib Architecture subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Vib Architecture funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vib Architecture M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vib Architecture
What does Vib Architecture do?
VIB Architecture is a Paris-based architecture firm providing comprehensive architectural design, coordination, and project management services for large-scale public and institutional buildings. Its work spans research centers, healthcare and educational facilities, residential and mixed-use developments, and industrial-to-logistics transformations across France (with selected projects in Germany). The practice combines sustainable, bioclimatic, and low-carbon design approaches with BIM-based collaborative project management coordinated by CSTB, delivering projects typically valued above €12 million.
Is Vib Architecture a public or private company?
Vib Architecture is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Vib Architecture founded?
Vib Architecture was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Vib Architecture based?
Vib Architecture is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Vib Architecture make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Design Services.
Who are Vib Architecture's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wilmotte & Associés, Architecture-Studio, Jean-Paul Viguier et Associés, Dominique Coulon & Associés, TANK Architectes, King Kong (architectes) and Baumschlager Eberle Architekten. Atelier 2/3/4 is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Foster + Partners and Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
Does Vib Architecture have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vib Architecture.
What industry is Vib Architecture in?
Vib Architecture's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAK, Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services. Its NAICS code is 541310.