Architecture Portfolios: The Latest Architecture and News

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The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.

A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design discuss how to prepare for undergraduate architecture school. The two cover learning different skills and tools such as software programs, sculpture, drawing, and painting; learning about construction; common challenges students face; architectural education in general; dealing with negativity in the profession of architecture; and more.

When applying for an architecture job, you need to make sure you have the perfect portfolio. While a clever and attractive business card might help you initially get a firm's attention, and a well-considered résumé or CV might help you prove your value, in most cases it will be your portfolio that makes or breaks your application. It's your portfolio that practices will use to measure your design sensibilities against the office's own style and to judge whether you match up to the talents claimed in your résumé.

After launching a call for our readers to send us their own portfolios so that we could share the best design ideas with the ArchDaily community, this selection below shows the best of the nearly 200 submissions we received, which were judged not on the quality of the architectural design they showed (though much of it was excellent) but instead the design quality of the portfolio itself. In making the selection, we were looking for attractive graphics, a clear presentation of the work itself, the formulation of a visual identity which permeated both the architectural designs and the portfolio design, and of course that elusive and much-prized attribute: "creativity."

© Annie Spratt. Image Courtesy of Architect-US

Looking for a job isn’t fun. It’s nerve-wracking for the applicant and it’s often time-consuming for the potential employer as well. It can be even worse if you’re job-seeking internationally, hoping for a position with a top firm in the United States. For an applicant from another country hoping to make the move to an architecture career in the US, the process can seem overwhelming: rules and regulations, visa issuance processes, and loads of supplementary documentation necessary for immigration.

Top Architecture Firms enrolled in the Architect-US Programs. Image courtesy of Architect-US. 

The following article, originally published by the self-titled "Portfolio Queen," Stephanie Gleeson, gives you an insider's perspective into what recruiters are looking for when they open your portfolio. Gleeson, a Senior Consultant at boutique recruiting firm Bloomfield Tremayne & Partners, offers her top tips on everything from hierarchy tips, software and formatting, and how to present your portfolio in the interview.

When it comes to individuals pursuing architectural or interior design there is the added concern of the portfolio.

Your portfolio can tell a potential employer so much about you as an individual:

• Are you organized?
• Do you understand the progression of your own projects?
• Who are you as a designer?

We want you to ace the portfolio, so here are my top hacks from having gone through the grueling process myself and what I’ve seen as a recruitment consultant. And trust me – I’ve seen a lot.

Given the hearty success of our architecture resume/CV post, we understand that there's a demand for inspirational information that will help you land the job, grant or school admission you've always wanted. But portfolios, though a basic requirement in many creative fields, can be very tricky to master. How do you select the work you want to feature? How will you present it visually? Most importantly—how will you make it memorable enough that it won't be cast aside after a three-second glance? In an age where more and more portfolios and CVs will be viewed exclusively on a screen, how have you, our readers, developed portfolios that you are proud of? We would be honored to share the most innovative, inspirational, well-designed portfolios, so submit your designs!

If you think your portfolio has what it takes to be featured in a top-10 list, then send it over. (But please read the rules and guidelines!)