5 ways to proactively get new architecture clients
(Originally published in April 2020, updated in August 2026)
This Live Q&A prompt came from an architect in Brisbane - during Covid lockdowns in 2020 - and they asked a question that many young firms encounter when they’re trying to expand beyond the residential market, and attempting to win public and community projects.
This situation is common in careers and firm growth cycles, and it presents as a chicken-and-egg problem.
It’s hard to land your first job - or your first public or community project - when you don’t have any contacts or past experience (or a precedent project in the new typology) to draw upon and showcase.
So how can you make new connections and build relationships - and offer new types of services - to break into a new sector, typology or domain?
The original question focussed on relationship building, so we’ll start there. The architect asked:
“How can we find the right people to talk to within councils about local government projects or community projects?”
In the video below, I suggested 3 proactive ways to connect with local government and community clients. And in 2026, I’ve added another 2 methods, because the market for architectural services continues to evolve.
When I answering this question for the first time, I realised that my journalism skills come to the fore here, because journalists are very good at identifying the right person to speak with, and then making contact.
And journalists often make cold calls, because a media enquiry is a perfectly legitimate reason to make contact with someone you’ve never met. However, I’m not suggesting you do that, because it’s always better to meet a potential new client via a personalised referral.
So you could use method 1 to find the right person and then set up a warm intro. Or you might prefer to try methods 2 or 3, or a combination of these, depending on your existing networks and preferences.
Method 1. Use LinkedIn to identify potential architecture clients
I created a dummy search at a Western Australian Council to test my theory on this. On LinkedIn, I searched for City of Stirling and it threw up 481 results.
I clicked on All Filters, then under Industries, I chose Construction, which gave me 10 people with roles such as:
Senior Project Officer
Project Officer (Infrastructure)
Project Manager
Service Lead Project Management, and
Senior Project Officer - Facilities, Projects & Assets
I also used the Industries field to select Architecture and Planning roles, which gave me 13 people, not all of whom work at the City, but I did find:
a Community and Stakeholder Engagement Advisor
Having identified these people, I checked which ones I had shared connections with – if you see many of your architectural peers are connected to the council employees, that gives you a sense of who you need to contact.
You could also use the Connections field to find the right contacts. If you know a particular architect has already done work for a council, enter the architect’s name in the Connections search bar, and see who comes up.
Once you have the right person to contact, you’re ready to choose how best to approach them. If some of your consultants also share connections with the council employee, you could ask them to introduce you, so you can initiate a conversation about how to bid for future projects.
Or, if you are going in cold, you can search for that person’s email address online, or failing that, ring the council and ask for their contact details, or ask to speak with them directly to confirm they are the right person. If not, you can ask who to direct your query to.
Method 2. Register for Tenders to build a database of potential new clients
Most local government work is let through tenders, so you should register for the government tender website in your state, and set up alerts for tenders that may be of interest. Don’t worry about the size or scale of the projects at this stage; this is more about using the tender portal as a fact-finding and networking structure.
For example, I’m registered on the Queensland QTenders website, and I’ve set up email alerts to receive notifications when a new tender is posted that includes the terms architecture and design. Even if you’re not interested in a particular project, you can keep an eye on the councils that are advertising tenders, and build a database of names and contact details.
You can also use the search function – putting in keywords such as the council name and the word “design” to see what’s currently up for grabs in that particular LGA.
Once you’ve identified and made contact with the right person or people, there are several ways that you can frame your expertise and pitch your services, beyond traditional procurement pathways.
Method 3. Carry out speculative architecture projects (while avoiding competitions)
My third suggestion is around pursuing speculative work, and it takes inspiration from Monique Woodward. She is an architect in Melbourne – a director at WOWOWA – and she readily admits she has more front than Myer.
For non-Victorians, Myer was the state’s largest department store, with a huge frontage in Bourke St in the city, and the expression means you’re not afraid of promoting yourself.
Monique Woodward of WOWOWA at the ACA’s Business of Small Practice Forum in Perth.
Photography by Kelsey Jovanou, via the ACA.
At the ACA’s first Business of Small Practice forum here in Perth in 2018, Monique shared a couple of strategies for drumming up new work, including her Youtube series ‘If you were mine’, where she critiqued a series of house styles and gave advice and ideas about how she’d renovate each one if she owned it. The videos went viral and worked really well to build the reputation of the firm in its early days.
Monique also approached several community sporting groups on behalf of WOWOA, that she knew were keen to create new facilities, but had no budget to do so.
The practice took the approach that it was more beneficial to approach potential clients - who didn’t yet have capital funding - than to do speculative competition work, so they helped with concept design and initial project scoping, which allowed the clubs to apply for grant funding for capital works.
Then, when those clubs were successful and obtained the funding, WOWOWA won the job to deliver the Narre Warren football and netball club facilities.
Method 4: Offer “Gateway Services” to help future clients to obtain funding for new projects
This approach suggests that it’s worth identifying helping your potential clients to identify grant funding streams for future projects.
I’ve written several successful grants including one for my kids’ primary school worth $130k for a new nature play playground; and a second one for $20m to deliver STEM projects for indigenous girls, from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Often there is funding available via established and regular grant and philanthropy programs, but potential clients don’t yet have the documented plans, costings and accompanying materials they need to apply for that funding.
So architects can help to bridge that gap by offering “Gateway Services” that precede full-service projects.
Monique also described how WOWOWA helped a client mount a crowdfunding campaign for a speculative project. You can read more about her innovative ways of identifying and approaching new clients in the article I wrote about the ACA BoSP forum, via the links included in the resources, below.
So that’s three ideas to identify and make contact with potential new clients in local government or community organisations.
Method 5: How else can you get architecture clients?
One of the most reliable ways to generate a steady stream of new enquiries and leads - which evolve into new projects - is to build a new client pipeline.
Rather than waiting for the right new clients to find you, you can design a system to attract and win more of the projects you love working on.
It takes some initial effort to establish a new client pipeline, but once it starts flowing, it becomes much easier to manage and maintain, because each new project provides more evidence of your expertise and knowledge.
Would you like some help to win new architecture clients?
Depending on what stage you’re at - and what type of help you need - we have several different services that may be useful.
Our online CPD mini-course How and why to build a new client pipeline provides a quick introduction to our proactive method of winning new clients. It contains five short videos - with a total runtime of just 70 minutes - and outlines the key components required to build your new client pipeline.
When you’re ready to establish your pipeline, our Architecture Marketing 360 course contains our Pipeline Roadmap. Build your new components and link them together to plug any gaps in your current client acquisition process.
You can also book a free 30-minute Zoom call with me to discuss where you're at now, where you'd like to be, and how we can help you get there.
Resources:
Finding opportunities in unlikely places: ACA Business of Small Practice forum #1
https://www.soundslikedesign.com.au/practice/bosp1
Association of Consulting Architects (ACA)
https://aca.org.au/
WOWOWA’s Kalora Park project in Narre Warren
http://www.wowowa.com.au/portfolio/kalora-park-football-club-extension/
If you were mine, Monique Woodward’s YouTube series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ6iz2oa19o