Free architecture portfolio template

The 6-spread structure European studios expect for an application (sample) portfolio, as a print-ready A4-landscape skeleton. Use it two ways: hit print and save it as a PDF layout guide, or rebuild the same zones in InDesign / Scribus / Affinity and drop your work in. No signup, no watermark.

Prints exactly these six spreads at A4 landscape, nothing else.

HERO IMAGE — full bleed, your single strongest image (the project most relevant to this studio)

NAME · Architect / Architectural Assistant
city · email · phone · portfolio URL

1 — cover

CONTACT & PROFILE — 3 lines max

SOFTWARE — honest levels (Revit ●●●○, AutoCAD ●●●●…)

LANGUAGES — CEFR levels

LICENSURE — degree, country, chamber status

EXPERIENCE — role · studio · city · years, newest first, one line each on what you actually did

EDUCATION — degree · school · years

AWARDS / PUBLICATIONS — only if real

2 — CV page (same design language as the rest)

PROJECT 1 HERO — one image, full bleed. Reviewers often decide here.

PROJECT TITLE — one-line brief · your exact role · tools · year

3 — project hero (repeat this + next spread per project, 2–4 projects)

PLAN — the drawing that proves you can organise a building

SECTION / DETAIL — the drawing that proves it stands up

CAPTION COLUMN — what the drawings show, your contribution, one process image if it earns its place

4 — project drawings (a beautiful section beats a sunset render)

SECOND IMAGE — model photo, construction photo or interior

THIRD IMAGE + short text — materials, structure, or the problem you solved

5 — project depth page (optional per project; cut before you pad)

THANK YOU / CONTACT — name, email, phone, portfolio URL again
+ software & languages summary line

(contact on first AND last page — PDFs get separated from emails)

6 — back page

How to use it

Print → save as PDF with the button above (A4 landscape, margins none) and keep it open beside your layout as the grid reference.
Or rebuild the zones in InDesign, Scribus (free) or Affinity Publisher — the proportions are the template.
2–4 projects, repeating spreads 3–4 (and 5 only when it earns its place): 10–15 pages total, under 10 MB, filename Lastname_Firstname_Portfolio_2026.pdf.
Then run the 20-point pre-send checklist before it goes anywhere.

Aim it: tailor the first project to the studio you're writing to — find them in the studio directory, check who's hiring now, and time it with the September-wave calendar.

More tools: portfolio checklist · salary calculator · free architecture software.