Architecture Firm Website Redesign in Amsterdam: 2026 Cost and Project Portfolio

The verdict in three sentences

For a 12-person architecture studio in Amsterdam, an agency rebuild costs 9,000 to 20,000 EUR excluding VAT in 2026, versus 3,500 to 8,000 EUR with a freelancer and about 25 EUR per month for a Squarespace template. The gap is justified by a structured project portfolio (one page per project, filters by programme, client and floor area) that competition juries and public buyers check before shortlisting. Plan 8 to 10 weeks, half of which goes into sorting photos, writing project pages, optimising images and meeting European Accessibility Act (EAA) expectations that apply since June 2025.

Agency, freelancer or template: what you are really buying

An architecture studio website is first of all a reference library. In a design tender, the submission often points to the website: a jury that opens a slow page with three blurry photos and no project data moves on to the next file. The choice of provider depends on how deep you want the portfolio to be.

A template remains sensible for a two-partner practice working mostly for private clients. Beyond 10 people, and once public commissions exceed 30 % of revenue, the structured project page becomes a sales tool in its own right. Accessibility matters too: the EAA mainly targets consumer services, but Dutch public buyers increasingly ask for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance from their suppliers, and an accessible site is easier to defend in a tender.

The portfolio that wins public competitions

An effective project page answers a public buyer's questions in under 30 seconds: which programme, what floor area, what construction budget, what delivery date, what environmental performance. Storing this data in fields (not free text) lets visitors filter « schools » or « social housing » in one click.

The most underestimated item is imagery. A JPEG photo shoot often weighs 2 to 4 MB per image. Exported in AVIF, these images are usually divided by 4 with no visible loss, bringing a 30 MB page down to 7 or 8 MB and making the site usable on a phone in a jury room. Lazy loading, responsive sizes and alt text (also an accessibility requirement) complete the setup.

Typical 8 to 10 week schedule

• Weeks 1 and 2: scoping, sitemap, selection of the 20 to 30 projects to feature (a 12-person studio often has over 80 in its archive).
• Weeks 3 and 4: designs for the home page, project list and project template.
• Weeks 5 to 8: build, project entry, AVIF export, technical SEO (tags, structured data, sitemap), Dutch and English versions.
• Weeks 9 and 10: mobile testing, accessibility audit, team training on adding projects.

The real bottleneck is internal: partners signing off texts. Block two half-days during scoping.

Mini case study

Thomas, managing partner of a 12-person architecture studio in Amsterdam (illustrative example), answers about 15 competitions and tenders a year. He picks a 14,000 EUR rebuild with 25 project pages. Cautious assumption: a clearer portfolio lifts his shortlisting rate from 20 % to 27 %, roughly one extra shortlist per year. If an average design commission brings 75,000 EUR in fees and he wins one in three shortlists, the expected gain is about 25,000 EUR a year. In this scenario the rebuild pays for itself in under 7 months, not counting inbound private enquiries.

FAQ

How much does an architecture studio website redesign cost in Amsterdam in 2026?

With an agency, expect 9,000 to 20,000 EUR excluding VAT for a custom site with a structured portfolio. A freelancer costs 3,500 to 8,000 EUR, and a specialised architecture agency can exceed 30,000 EUR.

How many projects should the portfolio show?

Twenty to thirty complete pages beat 80 galleries without data. Keep projects from the last 5 to 8 years and references that match the markets you target.

Does the European Accessibility Act apply to my studio site?

The EAA mainly covers consumer-facing services, so a B2B studio site is rarely directly in scope. Still, aiming for WCAG 2.1 AA adds about 5 to 10 % to the budget and helps in public tenders.

Is AVIF supported by all browsers?

Yes, all recent browsers read it in 2026, and a WebP or JPEG fallback can be served automatically. The average gain is a factor of 4 on photo weight.

What lead time should I plan before a competition deadline?

Allow 8 to 10 weeks for a full rebuild. If a competition comes earlier, a two-step launch (portfolio first) is possible in 4 to 5 weeks.

Let's scope your project. Send us the number of projects to publish, your target markets and your deadline: we will price the scope, give an indicative budget and a schedule. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.