Perth’s Edith Cowan University has begun a search for a lead architect to design its landmark $695 million city campus.
A centrepiece of the Perth City Deal, the project will be the first university campus to be located in the CBD.
“Given the level of ambition, combined with the complex and multi-faceted nature of the project, we expect the lead architect will leverage international networks and knowledge to ensure ECU attracts the best advisors to deliver a project of international significance,” said Steve Chapman, vice chancellor of Edith Cowan University.
“We want this campus to be highly innovative and inclusive, where the transition between the university and the city is seamless, promoting unprecedented levels of community interaction and engagement.”
The campus 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.
ECU City Campus technical architect, Geoff Warn, said “It is the type of challenge that creative practices are trained for and dream about. This is the visionary project that Perth city has been wanting for a long time, which will have definite benefits for both the arts and business, opening up a world of new possibilities.”
The campus will open by 2025, accommodating 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.
“Thousands of students flooding into the city will inject more life, vibrancy and dollars into the city centre and its local businesses,” said Alan Tudge, federal minister for population, cities, and urban infrastructure.
WA transport and planning minister, Rita Saffioti, added, “The university campus highlights what density can achieve and the well planned and vibrant communities it can create.”
Expressions of interest for lead architect can be made through Tenders WA. The university is simultaneously recruiting a lead design engineer for the 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.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
