Blog

Table of Contents By Estefano Oliveira, founder of UNCOMMON Architects An architecture firm gets hired off a shortlist. So does the agency that markets one. Here is mine for 2026, grouped by the job you need done:  UNCOMMON Architects for

In June, Barcelona became the center of the architecture world. The city hosted the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026: five days of talks, exhibitions, and thousands of architects from around the world, gathered around one theme, architecture for a

On the 29th of June, we walked into the opening of the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 in Barcelona. It is the largest gathering in the profession, held in a different city every few years, and in 2026 it

Almost every architect I talk to is using AI to write something now: a bio, a project description, a LinkedIn post. And most of what it produces sounds like everyone else. Fluent, competent, and completely generic. The tool is not

Picture the moment a client is choosing an architect. On one side is a firm that has done three successful hotels in a specific material, all of them delivered, all of them working. On the other is a bigger, more

Table of Contents The 2026 cycle has been a slow one. Developers are sitting on capital, waiting for built product to absorb, and the firms that get shortlisted on the projects that are moving are the firms with a clear

Table of Contents Mid-2026 is a slow stretch for commercial architecture.  Developers are waiting for built product to absorb, jobs and rates have softened buyer demand, and projects that should be moving are parked. The temptation is to cut costs

Table of Contents Most architecture firms want developer clients. Very few have a system for getting them. The referral model that built the firm’s first decade of work eventually stalls, and when it does, the principal is left with a

Table of Contents Most architecture firms do not have a business development system. They have a network. A handful of repeat clients. A few referrals that come in when the market is good and dry up when it is not.

Why Branding for Architects Is a Growth Issue Many architecture firms do excellent work yet struggle to stand out in a crowded market. They win awards, deliver thoughtful projects, and solve complex problems, but when it comes to attracting new

Architects Want Results, Not Random Metrics Most architecture firms invest in marketing without ever seeing the financial return clearly. They may publish content, run ads, redesign the website, or post their latest awards, but when they look back at the

From Portfolio to Conversion Platform Many architecture firms invest in beautiful websites that showcase impressive work but fail to generate new opportunities. The problem isn’t the design quality; it’s that the site functions as a gallery, not a growth engine.