The verdict in three sentences
For a 14 person architecture practice in Berlin, the website serves competition juries and developers first, who check it between the application and the presentation. It must show 60 projects filterable by building type, load heavy imagery as AVIF with an LCP under 2.5 s and present references in HOAI service phase terms that German clients recognise. The market range is 12,000 to 22,000 EUR, delivered in 7 weeks, with maintenance around 120 EUR per month.
What a competition jury looks for on your site
A practice submitting 30 applications a year under VgV procedures and RPW competitions is assessed on references, capacity and the ability to deliver a brief. Jury members and procurement officers open the site while reviewing applications. They look for comparable references (schools, sports halls, libraries), gross floor area and construction cost, the HOAI phases the practice delivered (LPH 1 to 9), and expertise with energy standards such as the GEG or the BNB sustainability label.
The portfolio should filter by building type, client, status (competition winner, under construction, completed) and size. Each project page lists the commission, construction cost by DIN 276 cost groups, gross floor area, completion date, team and 6 to 12 images. A well structured page lets a jury confirm in 30 seconds that the practice delivered a 3,000 m² public building within budget.
| Portfolio filter | Example values | Value for the jury |
|---|---|---|
| Building type | School, sports, culture, social housing | Comparable references |
| Client | Municipality, Land, housing company, private | Public sector track record |
| Status | Winner, on site, completed | Proven delivery |
| Size | Under 1,000 m², 1,000 to 5,000, over 5,000 | Scale handled |
| HOAI phases | LPH 1 to 4, LPH 5 to 8, full service | Depth of commission |
| Sustainability | GEG, BNB, timber construction | Environmental capability |
Heavy imagery, performance and budget
Practices produce renderings of 8 to 20 MB and high resolution photography. Untreated, a project page exceeds 40 MB and takes over 8 seconds to display. The recommended pipeline converts each image to AVIF with WebP fallback, generates 4 to 6 responsive sizes, lazy loads everything below the fold and serves it through a CDN. A 12 image page drops under 2.5 MB, with an LCP under 2.5 s on 4G. GDPR compliant cookie handling and an Impressum page complete the German legal basics.
| Item | 2026 market range (EUR) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Custom design and templates | 4,500 to 8,000 | 2 weeks |
| Portfolio of 60 filterable projects | 3,500 to 6,500 | 2 weeks |
| AVIF pipeline and CDN | 1,200 to 2,500 | 3 to 5 days |
| Entry of 60 project pages | 1,500 to 3,000 | 1 week |
| Careers page and application form | 800 to 1,500 | 2 to 3 days |
| Maintenance and hosting | About 120 per month | Ongoing |
At Kolonell, this scope is close to our Premium showcase website tier, 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA (3,050 to 5,340 EUR), with the filterable portfolio and image pipeline detailed in the quote. Maintenance follows our grid of 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA per month (53, 114 or 183 EUR).
Preparing the content before the build starts
The schedule depends less on development than on gathering project data. Seven weeks holds when the practice assigns one person to collect, for each of the 60 projects, a 120 to 200 word description, the key figures (client, cost, floor area, HOAI phases, completion year) and a selection of 6 to 12 images with photographer credits and usage rights. Rights matter: many photographers license images for print and competition boards but not for web use, and clearing them later delays launch. Start with the 20 most relevant references for upcoming competitions, then add the rest in batches of 10 after go-live. On the careers page, publish open roles with salary bands where possible, since candidates in Berlin increasingly skip listings without them, and add a short page on how the studio works, tools, team size and project types.
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Lena Hoffmann, managing partner of a 14 person practice in Berlin, enters 30 procedures a year and is shortlisted then wins 3, a 10% success rate. A won commission averages 220,000 EUR in fees over its lifetime. If a clearer portfolio lifts the success rate from 10 to 13%, she gains 0.9 extra commissions a year, about 198,000 EUR in fees. Against an 18,000 EUR site and 1,440 EUR of annual maintenance, a single extra win every two years more than covers the investment.
FAQ
How much does an architecture practice website cost in Berlin in 2026?
The market range is 12,000 to 22,000 EUR for a custom site with 60 filterable projects and a careers page.
Why AVIF instead of JPEG?
At equal visual quality, AVIF is 40 to 60% lighter than JPEG. A project page drops from over 20 MB to under 2.5 MB.
Should we show HOAI phases and construction costs?
For public projects, yes, juries expect it and the data is often public. For private clients, a cost band such as 2 to 10 million EUR is enough.
Who updates the portfolio?
Someone in the practice, through an admin interface. Adding a project with 10 images takes 20 to 30 minutes, conversion included.
How long does the project take?
Allow 7 weeks, provided texts and images for the 60 projects are gathered by week two.
Let's scope your project. We define your competition portfolio, AVIF image pipeline and careers page, with a 7 week launch plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
