Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), Woden | Gray Puksand

The Enrico Taglietti Award for Educational Architecture

The CIT Woden campus by Gray Puksand is underpinned by a clear and ambitious vision: to transform a residual transport site into a connected, civic-focused learning environment. Recasting a former bus interchange, the project repairs and extends the Woden Town Centre, establishing a porous and legible precinct that invites public occupation and exchange. 

Four radiused volumes are carefully arranged to frame a generous landscaped plaza, mediating scale while optimising solar access, shelter and microclimate. Active ground plane edges, including publicly accessible teaching and hospitality spaces, dissolve institutional boundaries and support a rich mix of community and student life. 

The campus demonstrates a rigorous integration of architecture, landscape and engineering, where environmental performance and spatial quality are mutually reinforced. A fully electric building, it achieves a 6 Star Green Star outcome through high-performance systems, on-site renewables and the extensive use of mass timber, reducing both operational and embodied carbon. 

An embedded Connection to Country narrative informs form, materiality and experience, enriching the campus beyond function. This is a carefully resolved and forward-looking project that delivers enduring social, environmental and cultural value for its users and the broader city.