Leaking roofs, rusty plumbing and asbestos; it's all part of the good life at The Lodge.
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Flaws in the 84-year-old building were publicised in October, months after University of Canberra students set to work designing new residences for the country's prime political couple.
![Students hone skills on new PM's residence Students hone skills on new PM's residence](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/b5f3d526-e5d5-430c-9509-e2ba84eb6320.jpg/r0_0_729_486_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Using a brief provided by the National Capital Authority, architecture graduates such as Nikki Butlin worked around plans for the long-touted potential site at Stirling Ridge, Yarralumla.
''The idea is that the prime minister's residence would be a house ... for somebody to retreat to after a busy day,'' she said.
''But also it would need to be a place where you could hold functions with visiting dignitaries. It kind of has a duel role as a public building and a private house.''
The 24-year-old said the project represented almost half a year's work, the final six months of her five years studying at the University of Canberra.
As well as balancing the ''contradictory'' needs of being both recognisable and private, Ms Butlin and her 25 classmates had to take issues such as sustainability into account.
''The thing that was most important in my design was looking at the way it sat in the landscape,'' she said.
Ms Butlin's design is on display as part of this year's Brilliance exhibition at the Gallery of Australian Design.
The exhibition showcases the work of graduates from the University of Canberra's Faculty of Arts and Design and opens to the public this morning.