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Architecture Portfolio Examples (2026): What Strong Indian Portfolios Have in Common
Six real portfolios by Indian architects on MOA, the one thing each does well, and a page-by-page plan you can copy for a job, an internship or a master's application.
Published on 10/16/20268 min read
Every portfolio below belongs to a practising architect on Member of Architecture and is public. We picked each one for a single thing it does well, not as a ranking. Click through and study the projects themselves.
The best architecture portfolio examples have less to do with fancy layouts than with decisions: which projects lead, what each one is about, and whether a stranger can understand the work in a minute. This guide looks at six Indian architects on MOA whose portfolios get those decisions right, and turns what they do into a plan you can copy.
It works whether you are applying for a job, an internship or a master's programme. The differences between those three are covered near the end.
What reviewers look for in the first minute
Most portfolios are opened by someone with a stack of others to get through. A review panel run by the recruiter Bespoke Careers, which included a leader from Arup's architecture team, boiled its advice down to a few basics (Bespoke Careers):
Keep it short. 8 to 15 pages for a job application, and a file under 5 MB, because inboxes and application portals have size limits.
Open with a summary page that lists each project, your role in it and the stages you worked on.
Put your best and most relevant work first, not in chronological order.
Label student work and professional work clearly.
Show process: plans, sections, sketches and models alongside renders.
Put your contact details on every page.
Master's programmes ask for more. The University of Virginia's graduate guidelines, for example, describe a typical portfolio as about 20 pages or 10 spreads with 5 to 8 projects, in a landscape PDF no larger than 15 MB (UVA School of Architecture). De Montfort University asks for up to 30 images, with a cover, a contents page and a one-page CV (De Montfort University). Always follow the exact limits of the firm or school you are applying to.
Six portfolios on MOA, and what each one does well
1. Varun Garg, Panchkula: every project starts with an idea
Varun Garg's portfolio shows five built houses, and none of them is called "Residence 1". There is the Snail House, the Tree House, the Urban Cave, the Cascade House and the Lacuna House, and most descriptions open with the idea behind the house before they get to rooms and finishes. The Snail House, for instance, begins with a snail, a sitar and the sea.
The Lacuna House page is a good model of a complete project entry. It states the brief (a joint family of grandparents and the families of their two children), the year, the built-up and carpet areas, and the client, and the photographs carry captions describing what you are looking at.
Lacuna House: a named project with a clear brief, areas and captioned photographs. Image: Varun Garg Architects on MOA
Copy this: give each project a name and a one-line idea, then the brief, then the facts.
2. Teja Boga, Hyderabad: a recognisable point of view
Teja Boga's projects are farmhouses: Aaranya Sanctuary, The Brick Haven and the TEAM G Farm House. Courtyards, deep eaves, brick and greenery run through the work, so by the second project a reviewer already knows what this architect cares about.
The Brick Haven: brick, deep overhangs and greenery, a thread that runs through the architect's farmhouse work. Image: Teja Boga on MOA
Copy this: if your work has a thread, whether a material, a climate or a building type, make it visible in the order and the words you choose. A portfolio with a point of view is easier to remember than one that tries to show everything.
3. Hari Hara Raj, Chennai: the numbers are on the page
Hari Hara Raj describes the Gokulam Residence as a 3,160 sq ft home on a 2,200 sq ft plot, and does the same for the Sudharsanam Residence in Chromepet: a 2,932 sq ft home on a 2,736 sq ft plot. That one line tells a client or an employer how much house he fitted on how much land, which is exactly the problem most Indian homeowners bring to an architect.
Copy this: plot size, built-up area, year and location belong in every project entry. If you are unsure what those terms mean, our explainer on carpet, built-up and super built-up area covers them.
4. Abhishek Patel, Rajkot: range, with a reason for each project
Abhishek Patel's portfolio covers three very different scales: HVR, a bungalow on a corner plot in Ahmedabad; Nirvana, a 1,375 sq ft home in Rajkot; and TPS, a school of nearly 15,000 sq ft on the Taxshila Vidhyapeeth campus, designed for the region's hot, dry climate.
Copy this: showing range is only useful if each project says why it was designed the way it was. "A school for a hot, dry climate" tells a reviewer far more than "Institutional project, 2025".
5. Shubbhangi Wahane, Nagpur: the climate logic is spelled out
Ar. Shubbhangi Wahane introduces The Brickform House as a climate-responsive home rooted in contemporary tropical modernism, and the portfolio also includes a farmhouse and a mixed commercial and residential building. Each description names the design approach before the visuals.
Copy this: in an Indian context, climate response is one of the most persuasive things you can show. Say what you did about sun, heat and rain, and show it in a section if you can.
6. Anisha Gupta Jain, Mumbai: designed around the user
Anisha Gupta Jain's four projects are interiors: two apartments, a furnishing store and the Silver Cradle Clinic, a gynaecology clinic whose description starts from the comfort and well-being of the women who visit it. Different typologies, one consistent habit: start from the person using the space.
Copy this: if you lean towards interiors, show more than one typology, and lead each one with who it is for.
A page plan you can copy
Put together, those habits give a simple structure. This is a 15-page job portfolio. For a master's application, expand the projects and add process work. For an internship, college studio projects take the place of professional ones.
A page plan you can adapt: the strongest project gets the most space and comes first. Diagram: MOA
Cover: your name, a single strong image, and contact details.
Summary page: every project with its year, type, your role and, for professional work, the stages you worked on.
Strongest project, 3 to 4 pages: the idea in one line, the brief, site and climate, plans and sections, then photographs or renders.
Second and third projects, 2 to 3 pages each: chosen to show something the first one did not.
Smaller pieces, 2 pages: details, interiors, competitions or working drawings.
Skills and CV, 1 page: software listed in plain text, plus education, experience and your Council of Architecture registration if you have it.
Drawings or renders?
Both, and say which is which. Renders sell a mood. Plans and sections prove you can resolve a building. A portfolio of only renders makes reviewers wonder whether you can draw. One of only drawings can undersell good design. Pair each render with the plan or section that explains it, mark unbuilt work as unbuilt, and use real photographs once a project is built.
Mistakes that sink a good portfolio
A 60 MB file that bounces or never opens.
Chronological order, which puts your weakest early work first.
Unlabelled team projects. Say what you did. Reviewers will ask in the interview anyway.
Text too small to read on a laptop screen.
Software logos instead of skills, and no contact details.
Projects with no words at all. A gallery of images with no brief, area or idea leaves the reviewer guessing.
Put it online as well as in a PDF
The PDF is what you attach to an application. An online portfolio is what people find when they search your name, and it can hold every project at full detail while the PDF stays short. The portfolios above are all MOA profiles. Our guides to building a strong profile and publishing your projects walk through the set-up, and why verified digital portfolios matter explains the bigger picture. When you are ready to apply, the MOA jobs board lists open roles.
Frequently asked questions
How many pages should an architecture portfolio be?
For a job, 8 to 15 pages is a common recommendation. For a master's application, around 20 pages or 10 spreads with 5 to 8 projects is typical, but each school sets its own limit, so check theirs.
What file size should my portfolio PDF be?
Under 5 MB for anything sent by email, and within the stated cap for application portals, which is often between 15 and 30 MB. Export images at screen resolution, not print resolution.
Should I include college projects in a job portfolio?
Yes, if they are your strongest work, but label them as student projects. As you gather professional work, let it take the lead.
Can I include renders of projects that were never built?
Yes. Mark them as unbuilt or as competition entries, and pair each render with a plan or section so the design is clear.
Where can I host my architecture portfolio online for free?
You can create a portfolio on MOA for free and add projects with photographs, areas and descriptions, as the six architects above have done.
Put your portfolio on MOA, free: create your profile.
Sources
Bespoke Careers: 4 employers share architecture portfolio tips (with real examples) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
University of Virginia School of Architecture: Graduate Programs Portfolio Guidelines (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
De Montfort University: Architecture MArch application portfolio advice (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Project details from the public MOA portfolios of Varun Garg, Teja Boga, Hari Hara Raj, Abhishek Patel, Shubbhangi Wahane and Anisha Gupta Jain (accessed 16 Oct 2026)