A consortium comprising Lyons, Silver Thomas Hanley, and UK firm Haworth Tompkins has been appointed to design Perth’s first CBD university campus.
The $695 million campus for Edith Cowan University is the centrepiece of the $1.5 billion city deal for Perth.
It will be built over Perth Busport, adjacent to Yagan Square, and will link the Northbridge dining and entertainment precinct to the Perth Cultural Centre, home to the new WA Museum Boola Bardip.
“Lyons, in partnership with Silver Thomas Hanley and Haworth Tompkins, will bring a combination of local knowledge, design leadership, renowned expertise, and world-leading specialist capabilities that will capture our ambition and ensure the seamless delivery of the project,” said ECU vice-chancellor Steve Chapman.
“We are looking forward to these extraordinary minds not only conceptualizing but delivering this unique project.”
The campus is jointly funded by the federal and state governments and the university. The WA government will provide $150 million and the land, the federal government will contribute $245 million and ECU will contribute $300 million. The existing ECU site will revert back to the state government and a masterplan for the site will be undertaken to determine its future.
Proposed site of Edith Cowan University’s city campus.
“The new ECU City Campus will not only bring together students, teachers and experts across a range of sectors to foster learning and research, but it will be an important feature in the city’s cultural landscape, create flow on economic benefits for local businesses and improve the city’s vibrancy,” said Paul Fletcher, federal minister for communications, urban infrastructure, cities and the arts.
Due to open by 2025, the campus will accommodate 9,200 students and staff. That number is projected to grow to 11,000 by 2034. It will be home to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
“We anticipate that the campus will bring more than 8,000 students into the city from day one, creating flow on economic benefits for local businesses,” said WA planning minister Rita Saffioti.
“I look forward to seeing the designs of the campus develop and take shape.”
