Zakaria Vial is an architect, designer and artist based in Montpellier. Following his architecture degree, he specialised in playground design in the United Kingdom and collaborated with numerous stakeholders on an international scale, working on projects for schools, parks, leisure centres and housing. There, he notably developed natural play areas for children, where contact with living things, the environment and the landscape is essential. This expertise also led him to run model-making workshops with children focused on the architectural design of play spaces. Since 2016, he has also been working with the U//LAB association on participatory architecture and urban planning projects, consultation and popular education. Alongside his work as an architect and designer, Zakaria is also an illustrator artist, under the name Zaka. He primarily creates posters for the events scene, such as for the Discotte collective and La Séance, runs a clothing painting project and organises exhibitions.
Professional experience
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Architect, Designer and Illustrator
Freelance
Nov 2021 to Now
- Design of natural and inclusive play spaces
- Freelance architectural assistant roles
- Educational workshops for children
- Participatory workshops and collaborative planning within U//Lab
- Design of posters and hand-painted clothing
- Artistic direction of the Discotte collective
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Concept Play Designer
SPI GLOBAL PLAY, Wrexham, UK
November 2023 to 2025
Worked on 50+ full concept indoor leisure spaces (playground, trampoline parks, laser games, interior design…) from 2D/3D stages to technical drawings for production.
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Playground Designer
Duncan and Grove, Crawley, UK
Nov 2021 to 2022
In charge of the French market for a playground design company. Management of design and sales for all French projects.
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Scenographer
Compagnie Inesperada/Germana Civera, Sète, France
July 2021 to October 2021
Scenographer and set designer for a dance company in the South of France.
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Scenographer and Artistic Director
«Skate in the Moment» at the House of International Relations of Montpellier, France
May 2021 to Sept 2021
Coordination of the exhibition and conference given to present my independently published essay «The Poetics of Skate», developed from excerpts of my thesis.
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Architecture Teaching Assistant
Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Architecture, Montpellier, France
Sept 2020 to January 2021
Assistance for the creation of the students’ 3D models, coordination and planification throughout renovation of the school’s cafeteria.
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Artistic Director and Scenographer
Collectif Discotte, Montpellier, France
Sept 2019 to July 2022
Coordinated and directed 10 successful disco events in the South of France, with sustainably sourced stage design.
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Intern Architect
T3 Agency, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Sept 2018 to Dec 2018
Creation and design of an ecological bungalow.
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Intern Scenographer
Tempo Théâtre, Montpellier, France
Jan 2018 to March 2018
Set design for a theater’s performances.
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Sustainable building intern
Association Restee, Ardèche, France
May 2017 to 2022
Participated in several internships to learn vernacular building techniques and sustainable building methods.
Educational history
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Masters in Architecture
Architecture School of Montpellier
Graduated with Honours
2019 - 2021
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Bachelor in Architecture
Architecture School of Montpellier
Graduated with Honours
2015 - 2018
Software
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ArchiCad
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AutoCaD
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Sketchup
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Revit
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Adobe Suite
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Live Ableton
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3DMax
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Solidworks
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Twinmotion
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Lumion
Languages
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French
Native
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English
Fluent
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Spanish
Basic
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Portuguese
Basic
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German
Basic
