A new $695 million university campus will be built in the heart of Perth as part of a $1.5 billion city deal.
Edith Cowan University will relocate its schools of law and business as well as the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts to a site at Perth City Link, adjacent to Yagan Square. The site also adjoins Perth Railway Station and a major bus interchange.
The campus will open by 2025, accommodating 9,200 students and staff. That number is projected to grow to 11,000 by 2034.
A spokesperson for Edith Cowan University told ArchitectureAU an architect had yet to been appointed for the project.
Indicative render of Edith Cowan University’s proposed city campus.
The campus is jointly funded by the federal and state governments and the university. The WA government to 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.
“This campus will be a major catalyst for an exciting rejuvenation of Perth’s CBD, attracting locals and visitors to live, work and play in the city while creating great opportunities for local businesses,” said WA premier Mark McGowan.
“The WA Academy of Performing Arts is a world class, world renowned institution, which has produced some of this country’s best known performers, including none other than Hugh Jackman.
“With more than 300 public performances a year, it will attract more than 100,000 unique visitors into the city creating great excitement across Perth for generations to come.”
ECU vice chancellor Steve Chapman said, “This is the future of university education — urban, connected, integrated with business and community — part of a thriving city.
“This campus will deliver the innovative thinkers, adaptive learners and global citizens who will be the leaders of tomorrow.”
Indicative render of Edith Cowan University’s proposed city campus.
The state and federal government had been in talks with universities about relocating their campuses to the CBD as part a city deal since 2018. The city deal was paused earlier in 2020 due to economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Announced on 20 September, the deal also includes $360 million for two other universities to expand or establish facilities in the CBD. Murdoch University will create a new vertical campus, which will include a Digital Futures Academy and an e-sports hub, while Curtin will build a knowledge and innovation precinct.
The deal also allocates $42 million for the Perth Concert Hall redevelopment, and $20 million for East Perth Power Station upgrades, which is a $218 million development backed by Kerry Stokes and Andrew Forrest. In April 2020, concept designs by Kerry Hill Architects were unveiled.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
