Learning, Connection, and Design Inspiration at Mini In:Situ 2022

Mini In:Situ 2022, the Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Conference boasted a fantastic line-up of speakers who shared their insights into the contemporary practice of architecture.

Architectural Graduates, Reema Singh and Danny Choi, share their insights from this year’s conference in Auckland

What was the vibe of the conference?

Reema: “The conference felt very relaxed yet energetic. I felt as though being in this environment was inspiring. A large room full of designers eager to learn and understand new design measures. I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt very in element at the event.”

How valuable was this experience at this stage in your career?

Reema: “It was lovely to be surrounded by other people in similar fields as us and see everyone sketching and taking notes. It really inspired me and I thoroughly enjoyed being there as a graduate representing Chow:Hill. It made me feel valued, important, and that my learning is a high priority of the company, which is extremely amazing to feel this early on in my career.”

Danny: “It was a very memorable experience being able to chat face-to-face with some of the manufacturers we had been detailing in our own projects. Being a graduate, I felt I lacked the knowledge to ask them good questions, but without a doubt I’d love to come again and hopefully build relationships.”

What was a highlight of the conference?

Danny: “I was seated next to a Senior Architect from a different firm who was also drawing and sketching portraits of the speakers and their architectural work in his notebook! It felt like we were kindred creative spirits. Unfortunately I didn’t catch his name properly due to the booming speakers, but he told me to keep on sketching throughout my career!”

What was your favourite session(s) of the event and why?

Danny: “The first speaker, Anne Lacaton, and her compassionate, grounded, human and environmentally conscious social housing development projects. It was inspiring to see an established architect dedicate their career to modest, people-and-planet-first developments.”

Reema: “I thoroughly enjoyed the session by Mario Cucinella. His views on talking to young people about design as they envision how the future will be was very intriguing to me as a young person working in architecture. His idea of designing with the next generation was very inspiring.”