As part of the What I Wish I Knew Then, a series of free lunchtime talks for Melbourne Design Week, Nigerian-born, Melbourne-based architect, photographer, and artist at Sibling Architecture, Tope Adesina, hosts a conversation with emerging designers and industry leaders on their journeys to becoming accredited architectural designers, considering how they have navigated the challenges and opportunities of their careers.
This program is part of Melbourne Design Week 2026. View the full program
Tope Adesina is a Nigerian-born, Melbourne-based architect, photographer and artist at Sibling Architecture. His practice explores the intersection of architecture, art, and the public realm, focusing on how spaces are experienced, perceived, and shared contextually.
Across his professional, personal, and academic work, he foregrounds curiosity, experimentation, and play as essential design tools, using interdisciplinary approaches as language to reframe everyday environments and expand possibilities for civic engagement.
Mel Bright is the Principal and founding director of Studio Bright, a Melbourne-based practice known for acclaimed residential work and an expanding portfolio of civic, educational and multi-residential projects. Since establishing the studio in 2006, Mel has led its growth, drawing on prior experiences across London, Europe, Southeast Asia and China. Studio Bright creates enduring, responsive architecture that contributes generously to the social and built fabric of our cities. They care about connecting individuals and communities, enriching daily life, and balancing rigour with joy, every step of the way.
As a director at SSdH, Jean-Marie is driven by an underlying impatience to continue learning while holding a belief in a considered design approach, creative solutions to unique and everyday problems and transparent communication. Coming from a background in both furniture and architectural design, Jean-Marie’s experience spans small-scale interventions and residential alterations through to medium-scale public, multi-residential, community and recreational projects. SSdH is an emerging architecture practice pursuing thoughtful and honest spaces through the celebration of design and everyday life.
What I Wish I Knew Then pairs emerging designers with experienced industry leaders for candid, cross-generational conversations. Each session is moderated by an expert and explores lessons learned, creative risks, and pivotal career moments.