Big challenge ahead for Construction students

Congratulations to Construction ākonga Harsh Khurana (Dunedin campus) and Manjot Singh (Auckland International Campus) for being selected to represent Otago Polytechnic at the ArchEngBuild Challenge 2026.

The intense 3-day (72 hour) all-expenses-paid competition is aimed at tertiary students in architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, building science, and construction management (quantity surveying).

Harsh says the 40 students will be divided into multidisciplinary teams, collaborating to deliver cutting-edge concept designs which solve a real-world industry challenges.

Senior lecturer Rehan Masood says it’s a fantastic achievement and a proud moment for OP’s Construction programme.

“Harsh’s profile and achievements speak volumes about his dedication and capability.”

“I’m very confident he will approach this challenge with great enthusiasm, commitment, and passion, and I look forward to seeing him excel on this platform,” says Rehan.

Harsh will also be presenting his work at the NZBERS 2026 symposium later in the year, which is another impressive milestone.

After coming to New Zealand in 2024 as an international student, he finishing his diploma at AIC before transferring down to Dunedin this year to complete his Bachelor of Construction (Quantity Surveying) degree.

He’s been impressed with the facilities at both the Auckland and Dunedin OP campuses and says his tutors have been excellent and very accommodating.

“Second year of my studies was more the technical part, how to do measurement and estimation,” says Harsh.

“But in the third year, it's more about how to manage people, how to manage risk, and new technologies that are in BIM (Building Information Modelling) and property.”

Harsh first heard about the ArchEngBuild Challenge last year, but says was unable to take part as the collaborative event is designed for final year students to ensure all participants are at a similar level.

His friend Manjot Singh (who’s still studying at AIC) also applied, and both are excited to have been selected for the challenge.

The event is organised by the Building Research Association New Zealand (BRANZ) which says ArchEngBuild was created to nurture collaboration and innovation of our future construction industry leaders at the beginning of their careers.

This year’s competition is being held in Christchurch in late June, with a $15,000 top prize on offer for the winning team.