A Conversation with Colin Neufeld.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit the office of my favourite architecture firms. The firm in question, of course, is none other than 5468796 Architecture; Winnipeg’s very own world-renowned architecture firm created by U of M alumni Johanna Hurme, Sasa Radulovic, and Colin Neufeld. While there, I spent the majority of my time interviewing Colin Neufeld, but I also had the chance to briefly speak with Ken Borton, Sasa Radulovic (our conversation exclusively consisted of two uses of the word “hello”), and Jae-Sung Chon, a professor in the U of M’s faculty of architecture.

During my time at 5468796’s office, I was given a detailed tour of their workspace, I got to see their collection of architectural models and sketches (some were made for cancelled projects, which was really cool to see), and I also got some thought-provoking answers to a series of questions I had prepared. Colin told me about some of the misconceptions of working in architecture, he gave me insight into his design process, and details about some of 5468796’s recent projects, such as the Pumphouse, 90/100 Alexander, and the Parkade of the Future in Calgary. When I asked him about his time in U of M’s faculty of architecture, he highlighted the importance of perseverance, putting every single one of your ideas on paper, and both he and Jae-Sung Chon emphasized the power of knowing when to step away from a project because “nothing is ever really finished.”

This visit was incredibly inspiring for me. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to speak with such brilliant minds who just so happen to be alumni of my school. My conversations with Colin, Ken, & Jae-Sung sparked a light in me and showed me what’s possible for future architects, even in Winnipeg.