S9 Equip, Adelaide practice Studio Nine’s new mentoring program, will assist in developing the next generation of the wine state’s architects by equipping them with the required skillset for the future of the built environment.

The program is a staff-led initiative established to ensure the knowledge and expertise of senior workers was appropriately passed down. Graduate of Architecture Thomas Milochis (top left) will lead the program, while Architect Anthea Perkas (top right) and Senior Architect Daniel Schumann (top middle) assist in the professional development of junior staff.

The program was conceived within Milochis’ chats with his mentors in early 2023. Wanting to serve as a representative for all graduates, the program evolved from a graduate program to a fully fledged platform which will aid staff in their professional development.

Schumann and Perkas, both passionate about mentoring and knowledge sharing, were both keen to offer their time to give young architecture graduates a holistic program that was not available during their formative years.

"S9 Equip is the perfect platform to create a safe and nurturing environment for the younger staff to break down information and ask the 'silly questions'. In turn, this has also drawn in senior staff to share their own experiences which is fantastic to see this initiative becoming practice-wide", Perkas says.

Forums on key run fortnightly which aim to bridge knowledge and skill gaps between new and experienced workers. S9 says the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Whole studio site visits also form part of the program, as do talks from external professionals.

“It hasn’t just been internal knowledge sharing either, when Jaana (Bithell, Associate Interior Designer) presented paint specifications we brought in Grant Melville from Dulux to offer external insights and assist us as Architects and Designers in collaborating more effectively,” says Schumann.

The sum of all the program’s parts results in a collaborative workplace boosted by newfound expertise of each employee. Milochis says it has significantly raised the floor of the entire practice.

“Seeing graduates bring things they are working on to the sessions and working through solutions with others that they may not have had the opportunity to work with and learn from has been great,” he says.

“We want to continue to create an environment where the graduates have the confidence to bring questions to the table and have a one-on-one dialogue.”

Image L-R: Thomas Milochis, Daniel Schumann, Anthea Perkas.