How to get architecture projects: where commissions actually come from

To get architecture projects, most practices need to decide which kind of project they want, then make it easy for that client to find, check and remember them. Commissions come from repeat clients and referrals first. After that comes a portfolio website that shows projects like the client's own, and visibility with the people who commission that building type. Patient follow-up after the first meeting closes the gap. Residential clients take months to decide; developers and institutions take longer. The practice that keeps the conversation going usually wins.

Decide which projects you want first

"More projects" is not something you can plan for. Individual houses, apartment developments, offices, factories, hospitals, schools and hotels are commissioned by different people, through different routes, on different timelines.

Pick one or two. A practice known for mid-size factory buildings in Peenya and Bommasandra gets called by factory owners. A practice that does everything is rarely the first name anyone thinks of.

How to get architecture projects from people you already know

Past clients, consultants and contractors are the largest source of commissions for most practices, and the least managed.

1. List every past client. Owners who built one house may build another, or recommend you to a sibling. Developers and companies build again.
2. Stay in touch with consultants. Structural engineers, MEP consultants, project managers and contractors are asked for architect recommendations all the time.
3. Tell people what you want more of. A contractor who thinks you only do houses will not mention you for a warehouse.
4. Ask at handover. A client at handover is at their most grateful. Ask for a review, a photograph visit and one introduction.
5. Record where each project came from. After a year, you will know which relationships matter.

What an architect portfolio website should show

An architect portfolio website usually shows photographs, a project name and a year. A potential client cannot tell the site size, the budget, the location or the time taken, and those are their first questions.

Build each project page around what a client wants to know. Start with the building type, site size, built-up area and locality. Add the brief in two lines and the constraint that shaped the design. Show plan drawings beside the photographs, the time from design to handover, and a budget band where the client permits. Add a page for each project type you want more of, and a clear profile of each principal.

These pages do the work of architect lead generation quietly. They bring people who have searched "architect for factory building in Bengaluru" or "house architect in Mysuru", and they help a referred client decide to call. Our website design and development work builds sites like this, and our page on architecture firms goes into how each kind of client chooses.

Architect digital marketing that suits a practice

The Council of Architecture's professional conduct regulations limit how architects may publicise their services, so read the current regulations before running paid promotion. Within those limits, architect digital marketing for most practices comes down to a few things.

• Google Business Profile with the practice's category, projects photographed well, and reviews from real clients. Owners building homes search the map.
• Instagram for residential work, with every post pointing to a project page that answers questions, and one WhatsApp number that reaches a real person.
• LinkedIn in the principal's own name for commercial, industrial and institutional work, because a facility head or a developer's project director checks the person before the practice.
• Writing on the questions clients ask: approvals, setbacks, costs per square foot at different specifications, how long a house takes. Honest answers bring specific enquiries.

For example: a practice in Coimbatore

For example, consider a three-architect practice in Coimbatore that had built its reputation on individual homes. The figures here are illustrative.

The principals wanted more industrial and institutional work, which paid steadier fees. They had designed two factory buildings and a school block, but none of it was on the website, which showed only houses. They added pages for industrial buildings and educational buildings, each with site size, built-up area, approvals handled and duration. The principal began posting on LinkedIn about factory layout and approval questions, and wrote to structural engineers and contractors they had worked with to say they wanted more industrial work.

Within a year, two engineers had introduced factory owners, one of them for a building worth about ₹4 crore in construction value. A trust that ran two schools found the practice through the educational buildings page. The residential work continued; the practice now had a second source of commissions.

Follow up after the first meeting

Most architecture projects are lost after the first meeting, not before it. The client is waiting for a loan, a land title, a family decision or a board approval. Record what they are waiting for and the date to call. Send something useful in between: a similar project, a note on approvals, a revised concept. Our lead response and follow-up work sets up the record and the routine so these conversations do not drift. When the client is ready, you want to be the practice they remember, not the one they forgot.

What to do next

Write down the one or two project types you most want next year. Then check whether your website shows even one project of that type, with the details a client needs. If it does not, that is where to start. If you want help, book a free audit and we will look at where your commissions come from today.