Studio

Inside the ZUH Visuals studio in Antibes

Real craft, real deadlines. Both, every time.

We make images by hand, for projects that deserve it.

Architectural visualization, done well, is a craft. It takes time, judgment, and a point of view; none of which the schedule usually grants in abundance. Done well anyway, an image can carry an idea before the building exists: in front of a competition jury, in front of a city, in front of the people who will one day live there. When the project is good and the people behind it care, that image matters. We make those images.

We work with architects competing for projects. We work with developers who want their buildings to be more than yield. We work with anyone who treats the brief as a starting point for a conversation, not a spec sheet to fill. The common thread is never the client category: it’s the project, and the love put into it.

We work the way a cinematographer works a set: deliberately, with intention, with a point of view. 3ds Max, Corona, Photoshop, frame by frame. The reference shelf in our studio is full of painters and photographers, not other archviz studios.

We say no. To timelines that make craft impossible. To clients who want volume more than care. We would rather make fewer images, better, than join the race to the bottom.

ZUH was founded in 2019 by Hugues and Zina.

The trio

Two humans and a dog. Same studio, same standards, vastly different feedback styles.

Co-founder

Hugues

Born and raised on the French Riviera, where he spent his childhood drawing whatever was in front of him. Trained as an architect in Marseille (diploma and all) before falling for archviz in his final year, under the wing of a mentor who got him hooked for good. At ZUH, he handles client relationships, heavy modeling, post-production, and art direction. Zina calls him a dictator. He has a soft spot for organization, the gym, and flying drones; the FPV one whenever the sky cooperates.

Co-founder

Zina

Grew up in Novosibirsk, surrounded by applied arts from a very young age. Studied architecture there before turning to archviz for what it could offer artistically: the part of the work that goes beyond the brief. At ZUH, she leads art direction, with light and mood as her territory, and shares the modeling, texturing, and finishing with Hugues. Off the clock, she’s a serious realist painter, knows more about fashion than most editors, and would defend coffee in a court of law.

Chief of Happiness

Bob

Originally from a small town in the Bouches-du-Rhône. Joined the studio in 2019 and never reconsidered. Officially Chief of Happiness, a role he carries out with a tail that variously resembles a candle or a feather, and Ultimate Judge of every image that leaves the studio, though his verdict is known to soften in the presence of the right treat. Spends most of the day in his preferred bed, often on his back with all four paws in the air. His feedback on renders tends to focus on the same recurring notes: stop working, throw the ball, walk him, feed him. Failure to comply is met with a look that needs no translation.

Anatomy of an image

Each project is different. Here’s a typical image journey from zero to hero.

Brief

Moodboard

Blockout

Light

Feedback

Final render

Final

Hello Hugues and Zina,

We’re submitting for the Stade Nautique de Mantes-la-Jolie competition, due in five weeks. We need three or four images that show the building’s relationship to water and light: the morning swim, the timber against the concrete, the way the clerestory carries light into the lap pool. Quiet, considered. Not glossy.

Let me know what you need from us.

Lionel C.

01 / 07 · Brief

We receive our client’s request, briefly explaining the project and their need.

Anatomy of an image

Each project is different. Here’s a typical image journey from zero to hero.

01 / 07