If a project never survived site, it shouldn't headline your career. I've seen portfolios where the most prominent project is still in design development. Or worse, it was never built. It won awards. It got published. But it never had to face reality. There's nothing wrong with unbuilt work. Some of the best ideas never get built. But there's something wrong with treating unbuilt work the same as built work. A project that survived site teaches you things you can't learn in an office. It teaches you about materials, about contractors, about weather, about time, about money, about compromise. It teaches you what actually works versus what looks good on paper. I'm not saying unbuilt work is worthless. I'm saying built work is worth more. And if you've got both, lead with the one that survived. That's the real test.