Architecture Cover Letter: Examples & How to Write

The best architects are as much scientists as they are artists. The creative vision is important, but the expectations, requirements and budgets are perhaps more important to manage. Fortunately, a lot of people try to reinvent the wheel with their architect cover letters and CVs.

Every single one will come with its own artistic twist. However, it is focusing on the data in your cover letter that might help you stand out. After all, your portfolio will speak for itself—it does not need explaining. 

Here is the blueprint for a high-rise architecture cover letter. 

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Looking for a different cover letter example? See: 

• Administrative Assistant Cover Letter
• Engineering Cover Letter
• Graphic Design Cover Letter
• Marketing Cover Letter
• PhD Cover Letter
• Project Manager Cover Letter
• Warehouse Operative Cover Letter

Couldn't find your job? See a full list of our cover letter examples. 

Architecture Cover Letter Example

This is the blueprint for an architecture cover letter. Let’s get to the drawing board and sketch your own. Here's what to put in a cover letter, meaning, outlining the right cover letter structure.

1. Use a proper header and salutation

When writing a cover letter (even a short letter of application), follow standard business letter formatting rules. First and foremost, it means your contact details should be aligned to the right and the hiring person’s details should go below (aligned to the left). Then a date, and the subject (i.e. the position) of your architecture cover letter.

Make sure every letter is crafted individually and addressed with the first name of the hiring manager. If you’re not sure who’s dealing with your application, feel free to call up and ask. It might help you ask some questions that will let you target your letter even better.

Check against the architecture cover letter example:

Architecture cover letter—header

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2. Open your architecture cover letter with a quick sketch

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What their first impression is depends on you and the words you use. They’re going to be looking at your portfolio anyway, so it might be optimal to get to the point with some data-driven points about your performance and track record.

In the opening paragraph of your cover letter describe your years of experience and most important achievement right away, before you express your interest in the role. In other words, don’t lead with asking for something, lead with justifying why you should get it. The first paragraph should be somewhere between 40 and 80 words. Like this:

Architecture cover letter—opening example

3. Describe your track record in the second paragraph of your architecture cover letter

This is a section where many people will lose attention by talking about their influences or artistic vision. That is all and well, as long as you can explain how it will translate into profits and results for your new employer.

If it is not patently obvious how your vision and influences translate into results, perhaps it’s better to talk about results you have already produced for your past employers. Leave the qualitative and subjective discussion for the interview, which you’re surely getting.

It is safe to do so, because the quantitative and objective approach will get you to the interview. Simply explaining in the simplest, money terms what you have done, and what you can do. This should fall somewhere between 120 and 200 words.

Architecture cover letter example—main paragraph

You don’t have to create any content yourself. The LiveCareer cover letter generator will automatically suggest the best content for your cover letter with ready-made examples and expert tips.

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4. Include a call to action in your architecture cover letter

Once you have explained the wealth of experience and proven skills you have, tie up any loose ends with a realistic promise of what you will bring to the new company. This section of 60-80 words should make a final argument for why you should be considered. 

Ask for a call or a meeting under the pretense of you explaining how you achieved something significant and how you can translate it to their own results. Close your cover letter with a formal closing, such as ‘Best regards’.

Architecture cover letter—closing example

5. Use an organised architecture cover letter format

Architect CVs always have interesting twists to them, but the cover letter might not be in dire need of reinventing. It is a fantastic opportunity to explain the results that the designs in your portfolio have produced.

If the results are solid, you are not going to be looked down upon for a classic business letter format in your architect cover letter. These are the simple rules for formatting a cover letter:

Architecture cover letter length rules

When it comes to best cover letter length: 

• 200 — 350 words in length
• No more than 1 page of A4
• Opening paragraph—60-80 words
• Main body—120-200 words
• Closing paragraph—40-60 words

Match the CV format

Make sure your fonts and general style of your architecture CV and cover letter match. They are two parts of the same document. Make sure there is continuity in your portfolio, also.

Use a legible font

Choose a classic, readable font in a 10-12 size. Elegance and simplicity are the key for any architecture cover letter (and they help you keep your cover letter in perfect shape!).

Use even margins and white space

Frame your architecture cover letter with at least 1-inch margins on all sides. Space out sections and paragraphs. If your aesthetic sense is offended by the block of text, consider bolding out some bullet points for your achievements. 

One cover letter for one job

You aren’t going to have many attempts at this. As you can see on the Royal Institute of British Architects website, only a handful of places will be hiring at a time. Therefore, it is important to research each one thoroughly and craft your architecture cover letter accordingly.

Not only will it maximise your chances, it will give you a good understanding of whether you would fit in well. If in doubt—ask questions. Additionally, when writing multiple cover letters, consider using AI cover letter generators to streamline the process and save time. Just make sure you're not creating too generic cover letter documents.

Save as PDF

Architect cover letters are as few and far between as the jobs, so it’s unlikely somebody will be using applicant tracking software for these applications, so you can save your letter in PDF to protect the formatting. Writing an email cover letter, however, is a different story.

A cover letter alone simply won’t be enough—you need an impactful CV, too. Create your CV in minutes. Just follow our wizard and fill in every CV section with ready-made content. Get started by choosing a professional CV template.

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Does this answer how to write a cover letter for architecture? Got any more questions on what to include? Did you find the architecture cover letter examples helpful? Let us know in a comment!

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