About
Equity Office is a research-based architectural practice creating projects that shape our built and socio-spatial environments. EO’s portfolio includes culturally and environmentally responsive residential and public works, supported by action-based research, education, public discourse and writing. Our work is cross-disciplinary, often involving a finely curated mix of traditional and non-traditional collaborators, depending on the right fit for the project.
Alongside providing full architectural services for private and public commissions, Equity Office offers community engagement, research, co-creation processes and advocacy.
Equity Office is Robert Lees, Jemma Cooper and Director, Nikhila Madabhushi.
People
Nikhila Madabhushi
Nikhila is an architect, researcher and educator. Her research-based practice is founded on spatial justice and equity in our built environment, with a special focus on decolonising and participatory methods. These themes were influenced by further postgraduate study in disaster management and global development, a pursuit that was assisted by the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship—a privileged award that also enabled her to establish her practice in 2017.
In 2020-21, Nikhila was the Monash Innovation Fellow within the Department of Architecture. Her research and teaching through this role, focused on rethinking community-led recovery of built environments in the regional Victorian context, following the 2019-20 bushfires in East Gippsland / Gunaikurnai-Bidawel Country. Nikhila has subsequently become a research fellow within Fire to Flourish, a five-year transdisciplinary program led by Monash, where she will continue to explore these themes concurrent to practice, from 2022.
Robert Lees
Robert is a graduate of architecture who works across education, research, and practice. His research interests lie in how service-based learning and participatory design models can sustainably generate a knowledge exchange and provide architectural services to those traditionally outside of the fields reach. His work to date has specialised in helping to coordinate sustainable livelihoods on country for first nations people living in both regional and remote areas of Australia, with experience on multiple projects across the eastern seaboard.
It is Robert’s core belief that participatory design is needed to ensure that all voices are heard and for individuals to feel empowered across all stages of a project. Participation fosters agency and stewardship over our built environment from those of who we design for.
Since starting at Equity Office, Robert has also become a Research Officer within the Fire to Flourish program and concurrently within the ‘Constructing Communities on Country: Building the Olkola Cultural Knowledge Centre’ project at both Monash University and the University of Melbourne.
Jemma Cooper
Jemma is an interior and spatial designer with experience in residential and healthcare fitout design. Her qualifications in interior architecture include being awarded the Peddle Thorp Interior Design top prize for her Honours thesis, Can The Settlers’ Tools Unbuild The Settlers’ House?
