How do you handle photography licensing and credit?

Project pages include configurable photo credits per image, automatic alt text for screen readers and a per-image rights flag in the CMS so your team can mark images as press-free, licensed-only or embargo. This is one of the most-skipped details and one of the most consequential when a journal calls.

Can we run the site in multiple languages?

Yes. Multilingual routing is built into the platform. We've shipped sites with EN/ES/FR/DE language switching. Translation workflows can plug into your existing tool (memoQ, Trados, Lokalise) or be managed manually in the CMS.

What about competitions and unbuilt projects?

Project archive supports a 'built / unbuilt / competition' filter so buyers and juries can find both. We've thought a lot about how to surface speculative work without diluting the built record.

Will our existing project library migrate cleanly?

Most architecture firms' project content is in InDesign or a static folder structure. We bring it into a structured CMS as part of the project. Migration of 50 to 150 projects is included in the Growth Platform. Larger archives or non-standard data we handle as a separate scope.

Do you publish to Archdaily, Dezeen, Architizer feeds?

Yes. Each project page renders a clean structured-data feed that publications can pick up automatically. We've made this work for firms whose work gets picked up by Dezeen on a weekly cadence.

What if our current site still works?

Then we leave it alone and you don't pay us. The most expensive mistake we see firms make is re-platforming when the actual problem is design, copy or photography. We tell clients honestly when a full rebuild isn't the right call.

For architecture firms, design studios & built-environment practices

Websites for architecture firms whose work deserves a real platform.

Most architecture sites look great on the project pages and lose the buyer everywhere else. We build the everywhere else with the same care as the work itself.

We work with architecture practices across the US and UK, with most builds landing between $7,500 and $25,000 depending on how much system sits behind the site.

Book a systems call See the 15 architecture sites we benchmark against

The problem

Why most architecture firm sites underperform.

Architecture firms are the only profession we audit whose project photography is consistently world-class and whose site architecture is consistently weak. The work is shot for monographs. The site is shot from a 2014 WordPress theme. The mismatch is jarring. Five patterns we see almost every time.

01
Beautiful projects, brutalist UX
Heavy hero image. Then a navigation that hides everything. Buyers can find one project but never the second.
02
An 'About' page that says nothing
Founders' bios as paragraphs of credentials. No point of view about why the practice exists or what it builds.
03
Project pages without project data
Hero photo. Caption. Done. No square metres, no client, no budget category, no team credit. Press and procurement both need that data.
04
No publications, no press, no awards
Architecture firms publish. Get featured. Win awards. The site rarely shows any of it because nobody's tagging it.
05
Mobile is an afterthought
Full-bleed image grids that break on phones. 80% of new-business research happens on mobile. Site loses there.

What we build instead

A site that matches the quality of the practice.

Photography-led but legible. Designed to be navigated by clients, students, journalists and competition juries. Editable by your team without breaking the design.

Project page template designed around long-form storytelling
Filterable project archive by typology, scale, year and location
Practice page with real point of view, not a wall of bios
Press, publications and awards index with metadata
Lecture, exhibition and event archive (most architecture firms forget this)
Team page with current and alumni roster
Careers and student opportunities section
Photography licensing notice and credit handling
RSS / atom feed for journalists who follow the practice
30 days of post-launch optimisation against real traffic

A dark angular building facade seen from below

Turnkey

You design the buildings, we run the website.

Design, build, hosting, security, monitoring and the changes that come after launch are handled as one engagement, so nobody on your team has to become the website person.

Book a call Read what it costs

The process

From brief to launch and beyond.

Architecture firm websites are usually scoped like a print monograph: everything designed up front, nothing shipped until all of it is done. We separate the brief from the build, do real discovery work with the practice and ship a smaller site that grows over time rather than a huge site that ages instantly.

01 · Step
Discovery
Working session with the operator (not just marketing). Audit of the existing site, competitors and search behaviour. The brief comes out of this work, not into it.
02 · Step
Strategy & content
Positioning. Architecture. Copy for the homepage and the project case study template. Photography brief. Sector pages mapped to buyer search intent.
03 · Step
Design
Visual system, page designs, brand application. Designed in code rather than Figma so the team sees the real artefact, not a flat mockup.
04 · Step
Build
Modern production build using the latest web standards. CMS configured. Project case studies migrated and rewritten where needed. Analytics, structured data and Search Console wired.
05 · Step
Launch & optimise
Go live. Daily review of real user behaviour for the first 30 days. Two or three rounds of changes against what the data shows. Most agencies stop at launch. We don't.

Frequently asked

Questions architecture practices tend to ask first.

How do you handle photography licensing and credit?: Project pages include configurable photo credits per image, automatic alt text for screen readers and a per-image rights flag in the CMS so your team can mark images as press-free, licensed-only or embargo. This is one of the most-skipped details and one of the most consequential when a journal calls.
Can we run the site in multiple languages?: Yes. Multilingual routing is built into the platform. We've shipped sites with EN/ES/FR/DE language switching. Translation workflows can plug into your existing tool (memoQ, Trados, Lokalise) or be managed manually in the CMS.
What about competitions and unbuilt projects?: Project archive supports a 'built / unbuilt / competition' filter so buyers and juries can find both. We've thought a lot about how to surface speculative work without diluting the built record.
Will our existing project library migrate cleanly?: Most architecture firms' project content is in InDesign or a static folder structure. We bring it into a structured CMS as part of the project. Migration of 50 to 150 projects is included in the Growth Platform. Larger archives or non-standard data we handle as a separate scope.
Do you publish to Archdaily, Dezeen, Architizer feeds?: Yes. Each project page renders a clean structured-data feed that publications can pick up automatically. We've made this work for firms whose work gets picked up by Dezeen on a weekly cadence.
What if our current site still works?: Then we leave it alone and you don't pay us. The most expensive mistake we see firms make is re-platforming when the actual problem is design, copy or photography. We tell clients honestly when a full rebuild isn't the right call.

Pricing

Clear pricing for serious digital work.

Foundation Level and Growth Platform are fixed-price website packages. Authority System is for custom project builds: maxed-out websites, ecommerce, dashboards, portals, automation and bespoke operational systems. Every tier ships with bundled monthly support.

Foundation Level

Professional digital presence, built right.

Best forSmaller construction, engineering and technical firms that need a serious professional presence.

From$7,500

+ $99 / month Foundation Support

Delivered in 2-3 weeks.

Bespoke responsive website.
CMS integration.
SEO-ready structure.
Contact and lead forms.
Project / case study system.
Mobile optimisation.
Analytics setup.
Security hardening.
Fast hosting deployment.
Hosted and run end to end by us.
Unlimited adjustments before launch.

Foundation Support includes+

Hosting oversight.
Uptime monitoring.
Backups.
Security updates.
Software updates and upkeep.
Email support.
Up to 30 minutes of minor edits each month.

Start with Foundation Level

Recommended

Growth Platform

For firms whose website has to do more than introduce them.

Best forGrowing firms that need rich CMS content, stronger lead systems and operational integrations.

From$12,000

+ $199 / month Growth Support

Delivered in 3-4 weeks.

Everything in Foundation.
Advanced page architecture.
Multi-location and multi-service structure.
Project and portfolio CMS sections.
Case study templates with rich media.
News, insights and editorial system.
Team, careers and recruitment pages.
CRM integrations and lead routing.
Advanced forms and workflows.
Lead tracking and reporting.
Dashboard integrations.
Automation setup.
Enhanced UX strategy.

Growth Support includes+

Priority support.
24/7 site monitoring.
Monthly optimisation reviews.
Third-party integration monitoring.
Performance optimisation.
Ongoing consultation.
Up to 90 minutes of content edits each month.

Start with Growth Platform

Authority System

Custom project builds around your exact requirements.

Best forFirms that need portals, dashboards, ecommerce or operational systems beyond a standard website.

From$25,000

+ $399 / month Authority Support

Delivered in 5-12 weeks, depending on scope.

Custom project build, scoped end to end.
Bespoke client portal or dashboard.
Ecommerce platform with custom checkout flow.
Internal admin tools and document workflows.
Role-based permissions and authentication.
Workflow automation and integrations.
Reporting and analytics layers.
Scalable architecture planning.
Strategic infrastructure consulting.
Unlimited adjustments before launch.

Authority engagements are scoped together. We map your operations, your team and the systems you already run, then design the platform that fits.

Common outcomes: maxed-out websites with bespoke functionality, ecommerce platforms with custom checkout and inventory flows, client portals where your customers track projects and pay invoices, operational dashboards for project visibility, internal admin tools that replace spreadsheets, recruitment systems, document workflows, reporting layers, AI-assisted analytics, custom CRMs.

Priced from $25,000. Final number agreed after a scope call, based on the systems work and integrations involved.

Authority Support includes+

Priority engineering support.
Infrastructure oversight.
Proactive monitoring.
Monthly strategic review.
Ongoing system optimisation.
Integration upkeep.
Staging and testing environment.
Up to 4 hours of enhancement time each month.

Book a scope call

More sectors

Let's talk

What are you trying to make happen?

Most projects start with a short conversation. We listen to the brief, ask the right questions and tell you straight what we can handle and how. No retainer required to start.

Prefer to pick a time? Book a 30-minute call.

Or email us directly at info@whitelam.media.

Websites for architecture firms whose work deserves a real platform.

Why most architecture firm sites underperform.

Beautiful projects, brutalist UX

An 'About' page that says nothing

Project pages without project data

No publications, no press, no awards

Mobile is an afterthought

A site that matches the quality of the practice.

You design the buildings, we run the website.

From brief to launch and beyond.

Discovery

Strategy & content

Design

Build

Launch & optimise