For an architecture firm, the website is first of all a showcase of projects: private clients, municipalities and companies want to see what a firm has designed and built before they get in touch. Before the first project photo goes up, though, there is a question that plays no role in most other trades: who on this site may call themselves an architect at all? In Germany the professional title is protected by state law and tied to registration in the list of architects, and the protection reaches beyond the single word to the name of the firm. On top of that come mandatory details in the legal notice that only apply to regulated professions, project facts a client can verify, and image rights in which several parties have a stake when it comes to architectural photography. This article sorts out the rules using three state laws as examples, shows where on a website the title appears, and describes how projects go online as a collection with a detail page of their own for each project. It is not legal advice: what counts is the law of your own state and the information given by the competent chamber.
What is protected is the professional title, not a title
In everyday German, people speak of a “protected title”. That is imprecise: in a legal sense a title is an academic degree, whereas for architects it is the professional title that is protected.
The Chamber of Architects of Baden-Württemberg sums up the core in one sentence: the professional titles “Architekt:in”, “Innenarchitekt:in”, “Landschaftsarchitekt:in” and “Stadtplaner:in” – architect, interior architect, landscape architect and urban planner – are protected by law. That makes four protected titles (Chamber of Architects of Baden-Württemberg), one for each discipline. In that state, only those who are entered in the list of architects, or who are entitled to the title as a visiting service provider under Section 8 of the Baden-Württemberg Architects Act, may use them (Chamber of Architects of Baden-Württemberg).
The membership statistics show how many people this affects: on January 1, 2026, the 16 state chambers of architects had 142,347 architects, interior architects, landscape architects and urban planners on their lists (Federal Chamber of German Architects). Each chamber keeps its list under the law of its own state. Anyone who wants to know what may appear on their own website therefore reads the architects act of the state in which the firm is registered. The broad lines are similar across the states, but wording and details differ, and firm names, additions and translations depend on exactly those details.
For the team page this means a clear separation. A university degree remains an academic degree and may be stated as such; the Bavarian Chambers of Architects and Engineers Act makes this explicit: the right to use academic degrees is not affected (Article 1(5) BauKaG). The professional title “Architektin” or “Architekt”, on the other hand, requires registration. A master’s degree in architecture under an employee’s name therefore describes a course of study, the title “architect” a license to practice. Both may stand side by side where both apply, but one does not replace the other.
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| State | Legal basis | Also protected |
|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | Baden-Württemberg Architects Act (ArchG BW), as described by the chamber | “Architekturbüro” (architecture office), “Stadtplanungsbüro” (urban planning office) and similar word formations that can cause confusion |
| Bavaria | Chambers of Architects and Engineers Act (BauKaG), Article 1 | word combinations with the professional titles and similar designations (Article 1(4) BauKaG) |
| Lower Saxony | Lower Saxony Architects Act (NArchtG), Section 1 | similar designations, word combinations, translations into other languages and the addition “freischaffend” (self-employed) |
| Other states | their own architects or chambers act | similar rules; the wording of the state law and the chamber’s advice are decisive |
Where the title shows up on a website
The Lower Saxony act is worded particularly broadly: only those registered under the title, or entitled to it as visiting service providers, may use it or otherwise employ it (Section 1(1) NArchtG).
That is a good yardstick for checking a website, even in states with narrower wording. You are not just looking for the line under your own name, but for every place where the word becomes visible: in the page title that appears in search results, in the wordmark of the logo, in the domain, in image captions and in the English version. The list below runs from the most visible place to the least conspicuous.
- Header and logo: if “Architekten” or “Architekturbüro” appears in the wordmark, the same applies as for the firm name. How a wordmark is built as a file is covered in Logo for your website: wordmark, symbol or your own file.
- Page title and description: the title of the home page and of every project page appears in search results detached from the rest of the page. What it says has to be right on its own.
- Domain and email address: an address that contains the professional title or the word Architekturbüro carries it onto every letterhead and business card, so it belongs on the checklist.
- Team page: for each person, the title under which they are registered; for everyone else, their degree and role in the firm.
- English version: “architect” is the translation of the protected title, and Lower Saxony explicitly mentions translations into other languages (Section 1(2) NArchtG).
- Captions, alt text and project texts: phrases such as “Design: architect …” name people together with a title and must match the registration.
- Profiles outside the website: business directories and social networks can take firm names and descriptions from the website and carry a mistake along.
An example of a conflict that arises without intent: a firm with two registered owners presents every employee with an architecture degree on its team page under the heading “Our architects”. For the employees who are not registered, that is a title they are not entitled to. Some chambers provide their own forms of membership for graduates in the early career phase; which designation is permitted then is up to the competent state chamber. Until registration, the uncontroversial route is to state degree and role: “Master’s in architecture, project lead housing” describes the person completely and claims no license. The same goes for additions: in Lower Saxony, only those registered with the addition “freischaffend” (self-employed), or entitled to it as visiting service providers, may use it or a similar addition (Section 1(3) NArchtG).
The list is not a secret register
Firm name and company: Architekturbüro as a word formation
The protection does not stop at the individual.
The Chamber of Architects of Baden-Württemberg writes that it also covers the terms “Architekturbüro” (architecture office) or “Stadtplanungsbüro” (urban planning office) and similar word formations that can cause confusion in legal dealings. Only persons who are themselves entitled to use the corresponding professional title may use them to describe their own office (Chamber of Architects of Baden-Württemberg). Bavaria covers this in a separate paragraph: word combinations with the professional titles or similar designations may only be used by those entitled to use the corresponding title (Article 1(4) BauKaG). An engineering office for structural design or an interior fit-out business without registered owners therefore does not call itself an architecture office, even if it offers planning services. Where in doubt, the chamber clarifies whether a word formation is protected before it goes into the logo, the domain and the letterhead.
Companies need an additional list. In Lower Saxony, partnership companies, registered civil-law partnerships, general partnerships, limited partnerships and corporations based in the state may only use the titles in their name or company name if they are entered under such a designation in the chamber’s list of companies (Section 1(4) NArchtG). An “Architekten GmbH” therefore needs registration with the chamber in addition to the commercial register. In Bavaria, using professional titles, word combinations or similar designations without entitlement is an administrative offense that can carry a fine of up to 20,000 euros (Article 32 BauKaG). A wrong title does not require intent: a team page from an old template, a domain name from the firm’s early days or an automatically generated translation is enough. That is why the check is worth doing before launch and after every redesign.
The legal notice of a regulated profession
Architects belong to the professions for which the legal notice (Impressum) requires more than name, address and a means of contact.
The German Digital Services Act names three additional details for them: the chamber the provider belongs to, the statutory professional title and the state in which it was conferred, and the name of the professional rules together with information on how those rules can be accessed (Section 5(1) No. 5 DDG). The general mandatory details are covered in Imprint and privacy policy: mandatory details in order; how another chamber profession implements the same duty is shown in the article on the law firm website and professional rules.
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| Detail | Legal basis | How it can read in the legal notice |
|---|---|---|
| Chamber | Section 5(1) No. 5(a) DDG | Member of the Architektenkammer [state], ideally with the chamber’s web address |
| Statutory professional title and state | Section 5(1) No. 5(b) DDG | Architektin (architect), conferred in the Federal Republic of Germany |
| Professional rules and how to access them | Section 5(1) No. 5(c) DDG | Architects act and professional code of the state, available on the chamber’s website |
| Professional liability insurance, if it exists | Section 2(1) No. 11 DL-InfoV | Name and address of the insurer, territorial scope |
| Registration number | not required by the DDG | voluntary; makes it easier for prospective clients to check the list |
The fourth row comes from a different regulation. The Service Providers Information Obligations Ordinance requires, if professional liability insurance exists, details about it, in particular the name and address of the insurer and the territorial scope (Section 2(1) No. 11 DL-InfoV). This information can be provided in several ways, among them by making it easily accessible electronically at an address the provider states (Section 2(2) No. 3 DL-InfoV). The legal notice is the obvious place, because prospective clients look there anyway. Anyone who builds their website with a site builder checks before publishing for the first time whether the generated legal notice includes the chamber details: a general legal notice for commercial businesses does not contain them by itself, because it cannot know that the provider belongs to a chamber profession.
English version: state the German title
Projects as a collection with their own page
For projects, the same applies as for references in any trade: a page of its own for each project does more than a long gallery without context. It can be linked, found in search engines and cited directly in a proposal or an application.
The article Project photos and references that win inquiries covers this in general, and the joinery website for custom furniture shows how a photo series is turned into project pages. In XICflow, such a project showcase comes from a collection in the “Content” area: a set of records of the same kind for which you define once which fields a project has. With the option “Create detail pages per entry”, every published project gets a subpage of its own; its address is made up of the collection key and the entry slug, the title comes from the title field and the description from the first longer text field (XICflow documentation). The individual steps are in the documentation on content, media and blog.
Name (plural): Projects Singular name: Project
Create detail pages per entry: on
Field Type Purpose
Project title Text required, becomes the detail page title
Project image Image required, thumbnail of the card
Short description Text area opening becomes the page description
Building type Select Housing, Education, Commercial, Interior
Location Text municipality or district
Completion Date end of the project
Work stages Text only the stages performed
Client Text name only with approval
Project partners Text joint venture, specialist planning
Photos Text credit as the photographer wishes
Detail page address: collection key + slug,
for example projects-new-daycareOn the detail page, the project title is the main heading, followed by the first image field. Text areas appear as a subheading with a paragraph, fields of type URL as a button and all other fields as a fact list with label and value (XICflow documentation). That list is exactly the block of key facts clients look for: location, completion, work stages, client, partners. The first image field also serves as the card’s thumbnail and as the image when the page is shared, so every project gets one image field with the strongest shot. One detail deserves attention before the fields are fixed: a field of type “Yes/No” appears on the page as “Ja” or “Nein” in the fact list. It is therefore no good for internal notes such as “release received”. The release status is reflected by the entry status instead: an entry stays “Draft” until every release is in writing, because only published entries appear on the website.
Entries reach the project overview through the “CMS list” block. It shows the published projects as cards in a grid or as a list one below the other, limits the number if you wish and links every card to the detail page as soon as the option for it is switched on. The card uses the first image field as its thumbnail and the first text field as its title. Entries are listed in the order they have in the management view (XICflow documentation); which project comes first therefore remains an editorial decision and does not depend on the date. A small selection is enough on the home page, the project overview shows them all.
Key facts clients can verify
The key facts of a project are a statement about the firm, and the scope of services is easily given too vaguely: “design and site supervision” tells a client little.
The German fee structure for architects and engineers offers a shared language. For buildings and interiors, the basic services are divided into nine work stages (Section 34 HOAI), and naming the stages performed on the project page says in one line what the firm did:
- Work stage 1: establishing the basis (Grundlagenermittlung)
- Work stage 2: preliminary design (Vorplanung)
- Work stage 3: design planning (Entwurfsplanung)
- Work stage 4: planning permission (Genehmigungsplanung)
- Work stage 5: detailed design (Ausführungsplanung)
- Work stage 6: preparing the award of contracts (Vorbereitung der Vergabe)
- Work stage 7: assisting with the award of contracts (Mitwirkung bei der Vergabe)
- Work stage 8: site supervision – construction monitoring and documentation (Objektüberwachung)
- Work stage 9: post-completion services (Objektbetreuung)
If the project page says “work stages 1 to 9” although the firm left after the planning permission stage, that is more than a lack of precision towards partner firms. Under the German Act Against Unfair Competition, a commercial practice is misleading if it contains untrue or otherwise deceptive information, among other things about the trader’s qualifications, status, approval, memberships or connections, awards or honors (Section 5(2) No. 3 UWG). A project from a joint venture therefore names the partners, an award appears with year, organizer and placing, and every line of key facts should be verifiable with the client or in your own records. A shorter list that is correct carries further than a long one that cannot be checked. How to show qualifications in a verifiable way is described in the article on energy consultants and their credentials; anyone who compares competition results or office size with other firms will find the rules in Comparing with competitors.
Image rights, briefly clarified
Architectural photos involve several parties.
The building itself may be protected by copyright as a work of architecture (Section 2(1) No. 4 UrhG), the photo belongs to the photographer, and the image may show rooms and people belonging to the client. The right to use the photo is therefore agreed explicitly for the website, language versions and, where relevant, competition documents. Whoever took the photo can also decide whether and under what name they are credited (Section 13 UrhG). Exterior shots from public paths are allowed under freedom of panorama, but for buildings expressly only for the external view (Section 59(1) UrhG); for interior shots, what matters is the arrangement with owners and users. Private clients appear by name only with their consent, otherwise “private client” is enough. The details are in the articles Showing client references and logos the legal way and Job site photos: secure the release before you publish.
For further photos there is the “Gallery” block. It offers the grid, masonry and mosaic arrangements, picks up the alt text maintained in the media library and shows a visible caption with room for the photo credit. If the images are given categories, a filter bar appears above the gallery (XICflow documentation). For a firm that shows housing, educational buildings and interiors, this sorts the selection by building type without separate pages. The alt text should be written by someone who knows the project: “Daycare center, timber facade, view from the play yard” helps a screen reader more than “Project image”.
The order that saves rework
- Check the list: for every person who carries a professional title on the website, verify registration, discipline and additions; for everyone else, state degree and role.
- Check the names: go through firm name, wordmark, domain, page titles and English version for protected titles and word formations; for companies, clarify registration with the chamber.
- Complete the legal notice: chamber, statutory professional title with state, professional rules with where to find them and, if it exists, professional liability insurance with insurer and territorial scope.
- Create the collection: fields for title, image, short description, building type, location, completion, work stages, client, partners and photos; switch on detail pages.
- Obtain releases: from the client, the photographer and partner firms in writing; until then the entry stays in “Draft” status.
- Build overview and gallery: CMS list on the projects page, gallery with categories and photo credits, then publish and look at the detail pages once from the outside, the way a client finds them.
In XICflow, the premium pages for a portfolio and for a local service business from the templates make a good starting point. When you create a website, the design direction “Quiet & editorial” is also available, a serif heading over calm body text without shadows, which the editor lists for architecture, among others. After that, project showcase, team page and gallery need no rebuild, but content: checked titles, key facts that can be confirmed and images with a release. Much of this already exists in competition and tender documents and only needs to go onto the website properly once.