Client portals for architecture firms

A client portal is a place where the client follows their project and approves what concerns them, without having to ask the firm. For an architecture firm, it trades a large share of "where are we?" emails and calls for a record that stays. This article covers what a portal should (and shouldn't) show, how approval works and how to get started.

Why isn't email enough?

Email is excellent for conversation and terrible as a project's source of truth:

• Versions get lost. The client comments on Tuesday's attached floor plan; meanwhile there are two newer versions. The conversation is now about a document that no longer exists.
• Approvals are informal. "Looks great to me, go ahead" in a forty-message thread isn't a usable record when, months later, someone asks "who approved this?".
• "I never got it" is unbeatable. Spam filters, oversized attachments, full inboxes. Without a shared place, delivering a document is always open to dispute.
• The firm becomes a help desk. Every status request interrupts someone who's producing. And the better the firm, the more projects — and the more interruptions.

What is a client portal?

It's a limited, permanent view of a client's projects, with its own login. Instead of asking, the client signs in and sees:

• The project's phases — preliminary study, permitting, construction documents — and which one it's in now.
• The files the firm has put up for their review, grouped by submission, so there's no doubt about which one is the latest.
• What's waiting for their approval — with a proper place to approve or request changes, on record.

None of this requires the client to learn architecture software: it's a simple page, designed for non-technical people, that works on a computer and on a phone.

What should the client see — and what shouldn't they?

The client should see the outcomes that are theirs to decide on, not your internal process. It's the most important part of designing a portal.

They should see:

• the phases and progress of their projects;
• the deliverables they need to review and approve;
• the events they attend — meetings and site visits — with date and time.

They shouldn't see:

• work in progress, sketches and intermediate versions — they cause anxiety and premature comments;
• your team's internal communication and the firm's calendar;
• other clients' projects, obviously.

That's why a shared cloud folder doesn't work as a portal: it shares too much or too little, and never with fine control. A real portal rests on dedicated client permissions, separate from your team's.

How does file approval work?

Approval should happen file by file, with a date, an author and a note. That way, when someone asks months later what was approved and when, the answer doesn't depend on anyone's memory.

In Vellum's portal, the client opens and downloads the files in stages marked as client review and, on each one, chooses Approve or Request changes. They can handle several files at once, and when requesting changes they have to leave a note explaining what. Every decision goes into the file's review history, visible to both the firm and the client.

When the firm uploads a new submission in one of those stages, the client gets an email with a link to the portal. Download links expire after 15 minutes, so a file forwarded by mistake doesn't stay accessible forever.

What changes in practice?

A portal doesn't change the design work; it changes the work around it:

• Fewer interruptions. "Where are we?" gets answered without anyone at the firm stepping in. Meetings become about decisions, not status.
• Approvals with a date and an author. When there's a disagreement months later, the record exists — which protects both the firm and the client.
• More trust. A client who sees progress without asking feels the project is under control — and a happy client recommends the firm.
• A sales argument. "You'll be able to follow your project online" carries weight in a proposal, especially with clients who've had bad experiences before.

A client update template

Even with a portal, it's worth sending a short update at the moments that matter — the end of a phase, a submission to the municipality, a pending decision. Copy and adapt:

Hello [name],

Update on project [identifier] — current phase: [phase].

Done since the last update:
- [deliverable or milestone], on [date]

What we need from you:
- Review and approve in the portal: [files], by [date]

Next steps:
- [next step], planned for [date]

You can follow everything, at any time, in the portal: [portal address].

Thank you,
[signature]

Three rules make the template useful: one message per milestone, not per week; one clear request for a decision, with a date; and the link to the portal, so the conversation carries on where it's recorded.

How do you get started, step by step?

1. Pick one or two projects with receptive clients — there's no need to move everything at once.
2. In the project type, mark the phases where the client reviews deliverables, and check that each project's current phase is recorded.
3. Create the client's portal account — the password is generated automatically and can be emailed — and send them two lines of context.
4. At the next meeting, open the portal instead of your email — the habit changes from there.

The client portal is one of Vellum Architecture's core features and is included on Core and Professional, the two paid plans. If you're rethinking how your firm manages projects end to end, start with our architecture project management guide — the portal is the piece that closes the loop with the client.