Dr Silvia Micheli
Researcher biography
Dr Silvia Micheli (BArch Politecnico di Milano; PhD, IUAV, Venice) is Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Program Convener of the Bachelor of Architectural Design. She joined The University of Queensland in 2012 after 5-year of teaching and research at the Politecnico di Milano. Dr Micheli works across design and history of architecture.
Her design research is cross-disciplinary, focusing on the notion of 'productive city' and how small-scale projects can enhance liveability and resilience in our communities. Her forthcoming co-authored book, House, Precinct and Territory: Design Strategies for the Productive City (ORO, 2024) discusses concrete scenarios for urban production. Dr Micheli is concurrently investigating strategies to enhance urban horticulture and farming practices through design to increase food security in the urban environment.
Dr Micheli is an accomplished scholar with a strong track record in contemporary architectural studies and a wide range of outputs, including exhibitions, NTROs and publications. She is co-curator of the forthcoming exhibition on the work of AIA gold medallist Enrico Taglietti, in partnership with the Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG). She co-designed the Blue Bower Pavilion, recipient of the Crossroads Prize at the 2021 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, as a manifesto of urban resilience during COVID19. In 2018, Silvia's co-designed the multi-awarded residential building One Room Tower, a demonstration project for the densification of the city.
Amongst Dr Micheli's publications, there is her co-authored critical book on the mechanism of cultural production in late 20th century, Paolo Portoghesi: Architecture between History, Politics and Media (Bloomsbury, 2023); the co-edited volume Italy/Australia: Postmodern Architecture in Translation (URO, 2018), that reflects on the influence of Italian design culture on Australian architecture; the co-edited book Aalto beyond Finland: Buildings, Projects and Network (Helsinki, 2018), which explores the global reach of the work of Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and her contribution to the travelling exhibition catalogue Alvar Aalto: Second Nature, (Vitra Design Musem, 2014), with an essay on the impact of Italian urban culture on Aalto's design approach.
Contextually, Silvia has also co-authored the book Storia dell'architettura italiana 1985–2015 (Turin, 2013), which reflects on the mechanisms of architectural production in contemporary Italy; co-edited the volume Italia 60/70. Una stagione dell'architettura (Padua, 2010); solo-authored the volume Erik Bryggman 1891–1955. Architettura Moderna in Finlandia (Rome, 2009). Her first co-authored book, Lo spettacolo dell'Architettura: Profilo dell'ArchistarÓ, looks at the power of media in the making of design culture.
Dr Micheli has a range of international collaborations with cultural institutions, such as the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, Triennale di Milano, Centre Pompidou, MAXXI Museum, Alvar Aalto Foundation and Vitra Design Museum. She has also liaised with prestigious academic institutions, including Seoul National University, Berlage Institute, Politecnico di Milano and University of Manchester. In 2019, Dr Micheli was Visiting Professor at the School of Art and Design at the Guangdong University of Technology, China.
Since 2016, Dr Micheli has assisted to secure DFAT funding to foster UQ students mobility in the Asia Pacific Region, liaising with international academic and industry partners in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Singapore, Hong Kong and Seoul.
Dr Silvia Micheli is a registered architect (Board of Architects, Lecco, Italy) and member of the editorial board of the Springer book series Transnational Histories of Design Cultures and Production.