Notion Template for Architects: Phases, Drawings, Fees

Picture a small architecture studio with four live projects. One is in feasibility, one is in design development, one is out for tender and one is on site. The drawing register is a spreadsheet that only one person updates, RFIs arrive by email, site photos sit on someone’s phone, and the question “how much of the fee have we used?” takes an afternoon to answer. A Notion template for architects connects projects, phases, drawings, RFIs, site visits, time and invoices, so those answers are a click away.

This guide shows how to structure an architecture practice in Notion and what Architecture Project HQ includes if you would like it ready to go.

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Why architecture projects are hard to keep track of

Architecture projects run for months or years, move through distinct phases and involve many outside parties: clients, consultants, contractors and planners. Information piles up in different forms. Drawings and revisions, RFIs and submittals, site photos, precedent images, timesheets and fee invoices all need to be found later.

Large practice management systems are built for bigger firms and priced to match. Small studios often get by with folders, spreadsheets and email, which works until a fee overruns without warning or a revision is issued from the wrong sheet. The issue is not a lack of information. It is that the information is not linked.

How to set up an architecture studio workspace in Notion

1. Start with Projects and Phases. Each project has phases such as feasibility, concept, design development and construction documents. Give each phase a start and end date and use a timeline view to spot overlaps across projects.
2. Keep a drawing register as a database. One row per sheet with discipline, revision and status. Filter by project to get a live issue list.
3. Track RFIs and submittals with a status. Open, in review, answered. A view of open items per project keeps follow-ups visible.
4. Log site visits with photos. One entry per visit, with the photo, stage and any action needed. This becomes a dated record of progress.
5. Collect precedents per project. Models, materials and details you reference belong in a gallery linked to the project, not in a downloads folder.
6. Log time against projects and compare with the fee. Hours multiplied by rate, rolled up to the project, shows fee used. A formula can warn you before the fee is exceeded.
7. Link invoices and consultants. Tracking unpaid invoices and which consultants are on which project rounds out the picture.

What to look for in any architecture practice workspace

• Phases with dates, so you can see overlaps across the whole studio
• A drawing register that records discipline, revision and status for every sheet
• RFIs and submittals with a status, linked to the project
• Time logged against projects and compared with the agreed fee
• Site visit records with photos and actions, dated so they form a history

If a tool covers these, it will answer most of the questions clients, consultants and your own team ask during a project.

Inside Architecture Project HQ

Architecture Project HQ is a Notion template for architects and small studios with 11 linked databases: Projects, Phases, Drawing Register, RFIs & Submittals, Site Photos, Precedents, Tasks, Time Log, Invoices, Clients and Consultants. Records link to each other, so totals, progress and alerts update automatically.

Project portfolio gallery

Projects open as a gallery. Each card shows the render, current phase, fee used and days to the next deadline.

Phase timeline

Every stage from feasibility through construction documents is laid out on a timeline, so overlaps are easy to see.

Drawing register, RFIs and submittals

Sheets are tracked by discipline, revision and status. RFIs and submittals move from open to answered.

Site photo log

One card per site visit, with the photo, stage and any action needed.

Precedents and sketches

Models, materials and details are kept per project for easy reference.

Time log and fees

Logged hours produce the fee used per project, with a warning before a fee is exceeded. Unpaid invoices are tracked too.

Every new row has a default page template with an icon, and a Start Here page guides setup with realistic sample data you delete afterwards.

Watch the walkthrough

This video shows phases, drawings and fee tracking in Architecture Project HQ.

Your first week with a Notion template for architects

Bringing a running practice into a new workspace is easiest when you start with what is live and work backwards.

1. Add current projects and their phases. Enter the phase dates you already have. The timeline view will show overlaps straight away.
2. Set the fee for each project. This is what the time log measures against, so it is worth getting right early.
3. Start logging time this week. Even a few days of hours begins to show fee used per project.
4. Import the drawing register for one project. Pick the project with the most active revisions. Add the others as they next issue.
5. Move open RFIs and submittals across. Only the open ones; answered items can stay in your email archive.
6. Log the next site visit. Add photos and actions straight from your phone while you are on site.

Once the basics are in, a weekly check of the phase timeline and fee warnings gives the whole studio a shared picture of where each project stands.

If several people log time, agree on how to name tasks so the time log stays easy to read.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Logging time without linking it to a project, so fee tracking stays empty
• Keeping the register in a spreadsheet as well, which leads to two versions of the truth
• Adding every precedent image you own; keep the board to references that matter for the project

Who it is for (and who it is not for)

A good fit for:

• Sole-practitioner architects
• Small studios managing several projects in different phases
• Project architects who want drawings, RFIs and site visits linked to each job
• Studios that want early warning on fees before they are used up

Not the right fit if you:

• Need a common data environment for model and drawing files
• Run a large firm with full resource planning and accounting needs
• Want CAD or BIM integration

Working closer to the build side? Construction Project Manager covers construction projects in depth. See all Notion templates.

FAQ

What do I get?

A PDF with access instructions, the template link and a walkthrough video. You duplicate the template into your own Notion workspace. Nothing is shipped.

Does it work on the free Notion plan?

Yes, on desktop, web and mobile.

Can I start right away?

Yes. Download the PDF, open the link, log in to Notion and click Duplicate, then follow Start Here.

Can I rename the phases to match my region’s stages?

Yes. Phases, disciplines and statuses are all editable in your copy.

Can I store drawings in it?

You can attach files or link to where your drawings are stored. Many studios keep the files in their existing storage and use the register to track revisions and status.

Get the Architecture Project HQ →

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