It was a full house in our Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland studio this week as Buchan’s Arno Pieters led a Sketching Series workshop for the Aotearoa Festival of Architecture 2025.

Delegates from across generations came together, pencils in hand, to explore the enduring art of drawing.

“I love presenting these sessions – they reaffirm what I deeply believe: sketching is a vital creative tool in architecture. Even as AI continues to expand our capabilities, the simple act of drawing remains an irreplaceable first step. Those initial broad strokes, born of intuition and right-brain thinking, are where the design journey truly begins.” – Arno Pieters, Senior Associate

Thank you to everyone who joined us in reconnecting with the joy of drawing – we loved sharing this experience with you.