What's in a website?

What makes a good architect’s website? This seems to be the big question on everyone’s mind around the office these days. We are on the verge of introducing the new website so everyone is on pins and needles.

For lack of any originality, we’ve started a top 5 list of things that make a good architecture firm website. In order to illustrate the point, we’ll pick on a few architecture sites from Chicago’s top designers. Since architect's have no sense of humor, I am sure this won't go over well with most of these folks. Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

1. Since this is one vehicle that introduces firms to potential employees, clients, and collaborators, it needs to communicate what your firm is all about.

These guys are not subtle at all but at least you get the point:
http://www.architectureisfun.com/

Conversely, would you trust these guys with your building design?
http://www.prosidesign.com/

2. Since people mentioned in number 1. typically come to websites to find info, it should be easy to navigate. A lot of architects screw this one up big time.

I dare you to find (or catch) anything on this site:
http://www.jrarch.com/

Conversely, this is a little boring (see #4) but at least you can't get lost:
http://www.wkarch.com/project_home.htm

3. It needs to have accurate info. Since people are looking for info, after they find it, it has to be correct and up to date. Nothing is more annoying than going onto a site that has employees listed that were fired years ago or building’s built in the last century. How tough can it be to update???

C'mon guys, it's 2007, there has to be some new news:
http://www.hedev.com/

You can't tell me the most current things these guys did was in 2005:
http://www.murphyjahn.com/english/frameset_intro.htm

4. It needs to get your attention – it has to be cool. No one wants to surf on a boring site so how you actually find things, how images and stuff scroll or fade is important. Be careful, there is a fine line between cool and annoying. Hint 1.: lots of Flash does not =cool. Hint 2.: If you have to add a "skip intro" button to your site, most likely people that visit the site will hit that button immediately - who wants to wade through your self-indulgent bull shit?

Pretty cool but almost pushing it a bit too far:
http://www.garofaloarchitects.com/home.html

Same idea as the above site (whose came first???) taken to the limit. Can this be more annoying?:
http://www.perkinswill.com/

Christ, can they jam more moving shit onto this thing:
http://www.wbarch.com/index2.html

Ouch, check out the scrolling. It looks like Hitler Architect took over Times Square:
http://www.buildordie.com/index2.htm

Make sure you have your seat belt on for this one:
http://www.nadelarc.com/

5. It has to be beautiful. This is different than being cool. Yeah, it sounds kind of corny and subjective but the site needs to be visually attractive. Let’s get serious, you are trying to impress people here – and most people that check out architect’s websites are other architects. That is setting the bar pretty high/ If you can’t create an attractive website, then what kind of shit are you actually making in terms of architecture?

I guess this is beautiful... ...if you like bumble bees:
http://www.oculusarchitecture.com/

Not bad - they truly need to update though a fellow SGWer is listed as an employee:
http://www.rossarchitecture.com/

Simplicity is sometimes best - I hope these guys finish this site some day:
http://jj-arch.com/