Architects are limited, or unlimited by the kind of resources they have at their disposal. Either as an architecture student or a practicing architect, there are some websites you need to be familiar with. As they can provide you with valuable resources that can aid you in providing better work.
We’ve made efforts to compile the best 8 websites for architects that will provide you with quality resources to aid your career. Whether is to improve your 3D visualization skills, buy a product or improve your work, the websites we have compiled below will help sort these issues out for you:
The Arch Guide
This is not to blow our trumpets or anything (maybe just a little bit), but if I’m being honest, you’re reading this in order to get information that will [hopefully] improve your experience in architecture either in school or practice and that is what we are about. We’re a website that provides general content as well as organize useful information that can aid your work in architecture.
You could check out other posts and read whatever is of interest to you.
Pimp My Drawings
This is a cool website that can provide you with vector-based characters to populate your renderings. They offer highly detailed outlines of models to complete monochromatic project schematics. They are free and you can also download them as DWG (AutoCAD, etc.) and Illustrator files.
One of the benefits of using vector-based characters from Pimp My Drawings is that you don’t lose quality when resizing.
Skillshare
Skillshare is an online community with classes on design, business, and more. Premium membership offers you access to all of the learning classes. As an architect/designer – one of a key skill you might need to learn will be the three Adobe Kings ( InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator); Skillshare provides amazing classes based on real-life scenario to fast track your learning process.
Mapchart
MapChart is a website that provides architects with drawings of cities, topographies, and sites for free. They provide maps of various places around the world. It also assists in improving the quality of your maps through color codes and descriptions of any place of your choice.
This could come in handy if you need information about a site or you are doing an urban planning/design study.
Graphics Direct
Graphics Direct is an eCommerce website that provides affordable products that can help with your design work. You can get architectural and art supplies such as sketchbook, color pencils, etc.
The downside of Graphics Direct is that they don’t deliver globally as they mainly ship to areas in the UK and Europe only.
Norman Foster Archive
This is an amazing website where you can find high-quality content of various projects from Foster + Partners. You will find plans, sections as well as high-resolution images and which you can access and download for free.
I’d be honestly surprised if you don’t know Norman Foster but I (kind of) forgive you if you don’t. Norman Foster is a world-renowned architect and founder of Foster + Partners, a global architectural practice with a focus on sustainable architecture, urbanism, and design founded in 1967.
Their website is particularly useful for architectural students that need precedents for their design projects especially if sustainability is a key consideration
Architects in practice can also find the resources in the website very helpful as Foster + Partners is a practice renowned for its depth of research, thus, saving you a considerable amount of time in research for your projects.
ArchDaily
This is a website almost every architect [should] know about.
ArchDaily collates and organizes projects from architects all over the world. and it’s considered one of the best websites for architects, It contains thousands of diverse project types ranging from residential, institutional to religious or sports. It also includes projects in landscape and urbanism. Architecture students and professionals will also find this website useful as it also advertises interesting building materials and their properties.
Upwork
Everyone can make do with an extra buck. This is where Upwork can help. Upwork is a platform that connects freelancers from various fields (mostly creative) with clients. Young architects can find it useful as they can advertise their design skills either in architectural design, drafting, or 3D visualizations and make an extra buck in the process.
This is clearly not an exhaustive list. There are several other websites that provide similar resources for architects like the ones mentioned. Such sites include Archillect, Archinect, Dezeen, for getting precedents on projects; Fiverr , Freelancer where architects can find architecture gigs online; Coursera, EdX, etc. are websites where architects can learn several design software and techniques.