ZILKA Studio

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RESEARCH BACKGROUND: 'Zilka Studio' was one of the projects that Leanne Zilka selected for inclusion in the invitation-only Design Institute of Australia Women in Design show. The exemplar project was a renovation on Zilka's brick Edwardian house in Armadale, exhibited via line drawings and models of the work. The project engaged with international discourse that priveleges materialist perspectives when connecting new additions to an existing structure. Leading practioners include Nader Tehrani, Toshiko Mori and Kerstin Thomspon. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: The models and drawings demonstrate how the brick fabrication of the extension was conceptually driven by the late nineteenth century Edwardian bricks of the existing structure. It used recycled bricks of a similar vintage, salvaged by the supplier from a former abbatoir in Abbotsford. The resulting structure created new knowledge around how realised buildings can blur the line between old and new while also using innovative new building technologies involving steel work and single-skin bricks. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The Design Institute of Australia's (DIA) Women in Design celebrated the contribution women make to Melbourne's built environment and offered exhibitors a chance to 'tell the story of their careers'. Fourteen women architects and designers were invited by the DIA to exhibit their work at the Melbourne gallery, 45 Downstairs. Daniella Casamento was the curator. The DIA is the peak professional membership national body for designers and design practices. This exhibition was an official Satellite Event of the National Gallery of Victoria's Melbourne NOW exhibition (22 Nov-23 Mar 2014). Press coverage, including: Laura Held, 'Women in Design' Archiecture Australia (1 April 2014); Sonia Sarangi, 'Make it big so the boys can see', Parlour 18 March 2014 (the 'Parlour' blog is part of an Australian Research Council-funded research project.