A project page does a different job from a portfolio thumbnail. The thumbnail makes a client curious; the project page has to explain enough for them to trust the practice with their own project. Most architects' project pages either show only pictures or describe the building in language only other architects understand.
This guide sets out a structure that works for both residential and commercial projects.
Start with the brief
Open the page with the client's brief in a few sentences. What did they want? A family that needed more light and a separate study, a shop that needed to feel welcoming to families, or a school that needed flexible classrooms. The brief tells the visitor what kind of problem the practice has solved before.
Describe the site and the constraints
Explain the site in a few sentences: its size, orientation, neighbourhood and the rules or limits that shaped the design. Constraints are often the most interesting part of a project, and they show how the practice thinks.
Explain the key decisions
Pick two or three decisions that mattered most and explain why they were made. Keep each one short and concrete, such as a choice of materials for the local climate, a layout that separated noisy and quiet rooms, or a phased approach to a large build. Visitors learn more from a decision and its reasons than from a list of features.
Show the outcome, with permission
Describe the finished project and, where the client has agreed, add their own words about what it was like to work with the practice. Use photographs and drawings that show the work honestly. Don't claim awards, savings or results you can't evidence, and check that any client quote is used with permission and the rules on advertising in mind.
Keep the page consistent
Use the same structure for every project so visitors can compare them easily. A reader who has seen one project page should know where to find the brief, the constraints and the outcome on the next one.
Quick checklist
- Open each project page with the client's brief in two or three sentences.
- Describe the site and the constraints that shaped the design.
- Explain two or three key decisions and the reason behind each one.
- Show the finished result with honest photographs and drawings.
- Add a client quote only with written permission.
- Use the same section order on every project page.
What to do next
The architect websites page shows how project pages sit alongside the process and the contact section. The layout behind this is covered on the business websites page, which suits any architecture practice building its first site. Choose one finished project and write its page in full, then use it as the template for the rest.