Introduced in the 2000s, architectural visualization empowers designers to create photorealistic visual and emotional portraits of future projects. While the technology was limited at first, today, technological advancements have considerably simplified the design task. 3D rendering services are becoming a game-changer in the industry as people are demanding more visually stimulating presentations.
There’s a good chance your team of architects create their own visualizations, but there are many benefits to be had from hiring an architectural rendering company. Better quality visualizations impress clients more, have better chances of approval from public authorities, and can even be your ticket to competing in architectural contests. More generally, quality rendering can help you:
Working in this niche, I’m obliged to follow the market and keep tabs on achievements in order to improve the services my company is rendering. I’ve found it fascinating to witness the birth and development of this exciting creative industry during my 15 years in the business.
Here’s my pick of the top architectural rendering firms. Read about their size, location, architectural visualization styles and rates, and the advantages of working with different partners below.
1.
Mir
Website | https://www.mir.no/ |
Location | Norway |
Company size | 9 employees |
Style | Compositing |
Price per image | $5000-$7000 |
Clients | BIG, Powerhouse company, KAAN |
Mir is an architectural visualization firm located in Bergen, Norway. The company is a leader in creating high-end architectural visualizations and has an efficient team of 3D compositing artists who use the technique at its maximum potential.
Mir is an excellent option for small-scale, large-scale, international, and even Fortune 500 company projects. The rendering company has been successfully serving clients for the last 20 years. In their own words, they try to figure out new and exciting ways to remind people that the world we live in is fantastic.
Mir focuses on sidestepping the mainstream. They keep track of general market trends so they know what to avoid in order to create truly unique work. They work primarily with compositing techniques to create highly realistic visuals.
A leader in high-end visualization with a price tag to match
Highly realistic imaging through compositing
Accept projects of all sizes
2.
Brick Visual
Website | https://brickvisual.com/ |
Location | Hungary, Romania |
Company size | 60 employees |
Style | Full CGI + retouching |
Price per image | $2000-$2500 |
Clients | Foster, Gensler, KPF |
With offices in Budapest and Cluj-Napoca, Brick Visual is one of the best architectural rendering firms with a global portfolio. Their talented team of 3D artists specializes in producing highly realistic visualizations with an engaging style. Besides .
Brick Visual is a dynamic developing studio which offers high-end visualization and a voice for unbuilt projects. Their portfolio features projects ranging from museums and bridges to skyscrapers and universities.
Brick Visual takes a flexible approach to work, which allows them to work with both large and small architectural companies. Over the past few years, the company has significantly improved the quality of its architectural visualization. This has helped them evolve to become a top rendering firm which offers unique work at a reasonable price.
Good quality to price ratio
Work with both large and small clients
Unique style and designs with superb attention to detail
3.
Jazzrender - The Best Affordable Choice
Website | https://www.jazzrender.com/ |
Location | Ukraine |
Company size | 10 employees |
Style | Full CGI + retouching |
Price per image | $1000 |
Clients | EDSA, WDG, WPA |
A young but admirable 3D studio located in Ukraine, Jazzrender is proof that years of experience don’t count for everything. They’re also the most reasonable option in terms of price on our list. With all that said, they’re perfectly capable of producing work that stands out. The team specializes in producing 3D renders with a streamlined process that allows for project completion or image creation in just 5 days.
Jazzrender focuses on attention to service, which allows clients to reduce time spent on project management.
An economic partner that still goes the extra mile with quality
An economic partner that still goes the extra mile with quality
Can produce 3D renders within a quick turnaround of 5 days
Great for innovative presentations
4.
Tomorrow
Website | https://tmrw.se/ |
Location | Sweden, USA |
Company size | 40 employees |
Style | Full CGI + retouching |
Price per image | $3000 |
Clients | Foster, Gensler, KPF |
Founded in 2006 by Andreas Landgren and Mattias Henningsson, Tomorrow is an architectural rendering company with offices in New York, Stockholm, Seoul, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, and Gdansk. Their team of over 40 employees includes 3D artists, designers, and developers who specialize in full CGI and retouching.
Tomorrow promotes unbuilt architecture through high-end imagery and interactive storytelling. With more than a decade of experience in the industry, they have evolved into a global brand with a portfolio of over 5000 projects which include visual strategies and visual communications for some of the biggest and the most important projects of our time.
Driven by its aim to make the world better through design, communication, and innovation, Tomorrow welcomes clients from all over the world. Projects range from mid-sized developments and interior walkthroughs to large, multi-tower visualizations.
Tomorrow implements a highly structured visualization process in which two to three artists work on a project simultaneously. The result is high-end imagery that happens within 3 days — the best offering based on quality to execution speed ratio.
Promote high-end visualizations through imagery and storytelling
A global brand with a large team of experts
Rapid 3-day turnaround
5.
Binyan Studios
Website | https://www.binyanstudios.com/ |
Location | Australia, UK, USA |
Company size | 100 employees |
Style | Full CGI + retouching |
Price per image | $4000-$8000 |
Clients | Foster, Gensler, KPF |
Binyan Studios is an architectural rendering company with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, New York, London, and Los Angeles. Founded in 2007, their team of artists focuses on creating 3D renders and animations. They also offer creative services such as photography, concept development, content strategy, film production, virtual reality, interactive applications, and experimental branding.
Binyan Studios typically work on big projects with real estate development companies. However, with 14 years of experience in the industry working with clients of all sizes, the company can handle all types of projects with ease.
A wide range of services at the higher end of the market
Experienced in real estate development projects for larger clients
6.
The Boundary
Website | https://www.the-boundary.com/ |
Location | UK, USA |
Company size | 30 employees |
Style | Full CGI + retouching |
Price per image | $4000-$5500 |
Clients | KPF, Trahan Architects, Henry Goss Architects |
The Boundary is an architectural rendering company located in London and New York. The firm has gained international recognition in the visual representation of architecture and the built environment. They continue to raise the bar in industry standards, offering game-changing content to progressive and ambitious clients.
Since its creation, The Boundary has worked with some of the world’s best architects and designers, including seven Pritzker Architecture Prize laureates. The firm has completed over a hundred major projects, including thousands of visualizations, animations, and virtual reality tours.
The Boundary was founded in 2014 by Henry Goss and Peter Guthrie. Henry owns an architectural studio which is one of The Boundary’s main clients.
A pioneer in digital technologies for graphic representation and the built environment
Have worked with the world’s best architects and designers
7.
Beauty and the Bit
Website | https://www.beautyandthebit.com/ |
Location | Spain |
Company size | 5 employees |
Style | Compositing |
Price per image | $5000 |
Clients | Dorte Mandrup, Snohetta, Zaha |
Founded in 2012, Beauty and the Bit is a top rendering firm located in Madrid, Spain. They have a small but strong team of professionals who pay special attention to quality and product finesse. Leveraging their expertise in both compositing and retouching, they craft stunning interior and exterior renderings with an extra focus on creating the mood of a piece.
Whether they’re working on architectural marvels or high-rise buildings, Beauty and the Bit stand out from the rest when it comes to visualization quality.
A 9-year-old company with a strong team of professionals
Good quality to price ratio
8.
WAX
Website | https://tobewaxed.com/ |
Location | Netherlands |
Company size | 8 employees |
Style | Compositing |
Price per image | $4000 |
Clients | MVRDV, KPF, Snohetta, Zaha |
Wax is a 3D rendering company located in the Netherlands whose energetic designers aim to create architectural imagery that goes one step further. Founded in 2012, Wax is the perfect company for building innovative presentations. With a focus on lighting and composition, they work towards telling the story behind every project through creative visuals and strive to envision unbuilt environments from the human perspective
Wax’s portfolio features never-seen-before creations that highlight a balance between artistic feeling and technical skills. The company is part of the BINK36 creative hub in The Hague, which keeps them inspired and helps ensure their visuals are truly unique.
Architectural imagery with a focus on lighting and composition
Unique visuals created through CGI and retouching
9.
Bloom Images
Website | https://www.bloomimages.de/ |
Location | Germany |
Company size | 40 employees |
Style | Full CGI + retouching |
Price per image | $4000 |
Clients | Kleihues + Kleihues, Bauwens, Gensler |
With offices in Hamburg and Berlin, Bloom Images have worked on visualizations for some of the world's best-known architects, including OMA and Herzog & de Meuron. Founded in 2008, the company has a wide portfolio of projects ranging from villas to corporate buildings, museums, skyscrapers, and resorts, and much more.
A 13-year-old company with a large team
Employ CGI and retouching to create world-famous visualizations
10.
Play-Time
Website | https://www.play-time.es/ |
Location | Spain |
Company size | 12 employees |
Style | Full CGI + retouching |
Price per image | $4000 |
Clients | BIG, B+H, BAAS |
Founded in 2009 in Barcelona, Play-Time is a group of architects with broad experience in photography, graphic design, and audio-visual presentation. They stand out from the rest in how they process images with attention to detail.
Play-Time pays special attention to the lighting of spaces, the texture of materials, and sensitivity to color in order to convey atmosphere and feeling and bridge the gap between a project and the viewer. The company avoids using realistic images and approaches photography with intention.
There are thousands of 3D rendering companies in the architectural industry, which makes it difficult to limit the list to just 10 of the best. Here are 20 other firms whose portfolios are definitely worth a look.
Each of the studios listed below has its own unique characteristics and strengths. To mention a few: DBOX and Kilograph are mature companies whose offerings range from marketing services to branding and visualization, while Omegarender is known for its remote working model. LUXIGON is one of the pioneers of architectural rendering and has been in business for more than 20 years.
I encourage you to check out these firms to get an idea of the range of services available in this exciting and dynamic field.
Company | Website | Location | Employees |
---|---|---|---|
DBOX | https://www.dbox.com/ | USA, UK | 100 employees |
Kilograph | https://kilograph.com/ | USA | 30 employees |
Designstor | https://www.designstor.com/ | Canada | 20 employees |
Proloog | https://proloog.tv/ | Netherlands | 20 employees |
Omegarender | https://omegarender.com/ | UK, Ukraine | 40 employees |
Neoscape | https://neoscape.com/ | USA | 100 employees |
ZOA Studio | https://zoa3d.com/ | Hungary | 20 employees |
Recent Spaces | https://www.recentspaces.com/ | UK | 12 employees |
Pixelflakes | https://www.pixelflakes.com/ | UK | 20 employees |
Arqui9 | http://www.arqui9.com | UK | 12 employees |
VISUALHOUSE | https://visualhouse.com | USA | 40 employees |
LUXIGON | https://www.luxigon.com | France, USA | 20 employees |
Cityscape Digital | https://www.cityscapedigital.co.uk | UK | 40 employees |
Submarina | https://submarina.studio/ | Ukraine | 10 employees |
Visequence | https://visequence.com/ | Poland | 3 employees |
VERO Digital | https://vero.digital/ | Netherlands | 20 employees |
Lunas | https://www.lunas.pro/ | Canada, Belarus | 40 employees |
K2 Visual | https://k2visual.com/ | Hungary | 3 employees |
ArchiCGI | https://archicgi.com/ | UK, Ukraine | 120 employees |
SAN CG | http://sanlabcn.com/ | China | 50 employees |
Any list of top architectural rendering companies will be subjective, but I hope this has given you an idea of the market and today’s talent. For sure, the breadth of services available makes it challenging to decide which studio will be right for your project. When looking for architectural visualization services, I recommend you look at
The quality of images
The overall style of the studio’s portfolio
The price of selected visualizations
The way the rendering firm organizes its work process
Bear in mind that a streamlined and comprehensive workflow will get you the best results in the shortest possible time. This gives you peace of mind and will cut the time you spend monitoring a project.