Architecture websites,
built around the portfolio.
Architecture studios win work through their portfolio. The website exists to present that portfolio in a way that makes a potential client stop scrolling. Most studio sites fail at the one job that matters — they compress the imagery, they bury the photography in template galleries, they hide the best work behind a filter. A custom site puts the work first and gets out of its own way.
The visual standard here is higher than almost any other industry. An architect's website is reviewed by clients who care about design, and by peers who'll roast anything that looks like a template. Getting this right takes a site built around the specific photography and project narrative — not a grid that forces every project into the same shape.
What architecture studios actually need.
Full-bleed photography without compression
Studio photography is the asset. Every project page should display it at proper resolution, responsive to the device, with no lossy compression of the source image. Custom sites can do this properly — template sites re-encode everything.
Project case studies with real narrative
Each project is a story: the site, the brief, the constraints, the approach, the result. Template case studies cram this into a 4-image grid with caption text. Custom pages let the narrative breathe — long-form text, plans, sections, photography interleaved with context.
Studio story as recruiting tool
A studio site talks to two audiences: clients and future employees. The 'about the studio' section should be written as much for the next hire as for the next commission — it affects who wants to work for you.
Minimal interference, generous negative space
The worst architect websites are the ones that try to look 'designed'. Over-animated, busy layouts, competing typographic treatments. The best ones stay out of the way and let the photography do the work. That takes restraint most templates don't allow.
Mistakes we see most of the time.
Thumbnail-sized project imagery
A studio photographed by Derek Swalwell or Willem-Dirk du Toit deserves more than 800px wide grid thumbnails. If the photography isn't presented at its native resolution, you're throwing away the asset that wins you the next project.
Filter-based project navigation
'Residential / Commercial / Interior / Public'. Template filter bars force clients to pre-commit to a category. Custom navigation can lead with the strongest work regardless of typology and let clients find their own path.
Cryptic copy that copies Pentagram
Every architecture studio thinks the correct house style is two-word sentences and vague references to 'material expression'. The studios that win briefs write like real humans explaining real decisions.
An architecture studio design study with full-bleed project pages, studio story, and process documentation. Built to demonstrate how a custom site can present photography at the standard the work deserves.
Frequently asked.
Do you build project gallery pages that can handle high-res imagery?
Yes. Responsive image pipelines, AVIF/WebP encoding with proper fallbacks, lazy loading below the fold, and proper srcset so retina devices get the high-res source. The photos look the way they should at every screen size without bloating mobile load times.
Can we update the portfolio ourselves after launch?
Yes. Every build includes a CMS (usually Sanity) so your team can add new projects, upload photos, and edit case study text without touching code. Handover includes a 30-minute CMS training session.
Do you integrate with our plan-drawing software?
Usually not directly — most studios export PDFs or PNGs of plans and sections and upload them through the CMS. If you need deeper integration with something like Revit or ArchiCAD, we can scope that separately.
Let's build yours properly.
Book a free 10-point audit of your current site. We'll send the report back within 48 hours, and you keep it whether you hire us or not.
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