Whadjuk people of the Nyoongar nation
Western Australia
ECU City marks Edith Cowan University’s bold arrival in the Perth CBD, reimagining the contemporary university as a compact, civic-minded vertical campus. Bringing together Business and Law, Arts and Humanities, WAAPA and the West Australian Screen Academy within a single interconnected building, the project replaces the traditional horizontal campus with a porous, highly collaborative urban environment
Interior laneways, skylit atria and open staircases form the social and circulatory spine, supporting informal learning, chance encounters and intuitive wayfinding through spatial experience. Learning, creation and performance are displayed through glazed studios and rehearsal spaces, activating the campus and putting the university 'on show'.
Positioned midway up the building, the library acts as the intellectual and social heart of the vertical campus, uniting disciplines and extending learning onto outdoor terraces. Connection to Country is embedded through a co-designed wayfinding strategy, grounding the campus in a culturally legible spatial narrative.
George Temple Poole Award
The winner of the 2026 George Temple Poole Award for Architectural Excellence has been awarded to the Edith Cowan University CBD Campus.
The ECU City Campus in the Perth CBD represents a transformative addition to the urban and educational landscape of Western Australia. Designed as a contemporary civic and academic precinct, the development integrates learning, public engagement, and cultural activity within the heart of the city. The architectural design emphasises openness, connectivity, and sustainability, creating a 24/7 environment that encourages collaboration between students, staff, industry, and the wider community.
ECU is the final piece of the jigsaw that connects the Perth CBD with Northbridge, sitting at the nexus of major public transport while enlivening foot traffic through the precinct. The campus responds to its urban context through activated public spaces, transparent façades, and legible pedestrian-focused circulation.
The building’s form and materiality reflect both innovation and durability, combining modern construction technologies with environmentally responsive strategies. Natural light, flexible learning environments, and integrated digital infrastructure contribute to a dynamic educational experience suited to contemporary higher education.
The architects have demonstrated extraordinary technical virtuosity in constructing five major acoustically sensitive recital, recording and performance spaces over an active train line and bus station.
The project plays a significant role in the revitalisation of central Perth by increasing cultural, residential and economic activity within the city centre. Through its architectural presence and civic integration, the ECU City Campus demonstrates how thoughtful architecture can create urban identity, foster social interaction, and contribute meaningfully to the future development of Perth as a connected and progressive global city.
The Hillson Beasley Award for Educational Architecture
ECU City realises Edith Cowan University’s ambitious relocation of the School of Business and Law and Cybersecurity from Joondalup, Arts and Humanities, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and the West Australian Screen Academy from Mount Lawley, into the Perth CBD. The scheme delivers an outstanding work of educational architecture and is the result of extensive collaboration, led by Lyons with Haworth Tompkins, Silver Thomas Hanley and Multiplex, and developed closely with the University over five years.
The project’s complex programmatic, spatial, and technical requirements have been resolved through skilful planning and sectional strategy to create a vertical campus. Carefully considered horizontal and vertical interconnections, clear sightlines, and strong visual and physical links to the public realm, together with thoughtfully detailed interiors, high-quality materials, and a confident use of colour, combine to produce rich, varied, and highly legible spatial experiences.
As the client observes, “The campus meaningfully supports how students and staff work, learn, and connect, encouraging collaboration, accessibility, and belonging.” Beyond fulfilling the brief, ECU City acts as a catalyst for urban regeneration and reimagines the contemporary university as a civic, social, and cultural institution.
George Temple Poole Award
The winner of the 2026 George Temple Poole Award for Architectural Excellence has been awarded to the Edith Cowan University CBD Campus.
The ECU City Campus in the Perth CBD represents a transformative addition to the urban and educational landscape of Western Australia. Designed as a contemporary civic and academic precinct, the development integrates learning, public engagement, and cultural activity within the heart of the city. The architectural design emphasises openness, connectivity, and sustainability, creating a 24/7 environment that encourages collaboration between students, staff, industry, and the wider community.
ECU is the final piece of the jigsaw that connects the Perth CBD with Northbridge, sitting at the nexus of major public transport while enlivening foot traffic through the precinct. The campus responds to its urban context through activated public spaces, transparent façades, and legible pedestrian-focused circulation.
The building’s form and materiality reflect both innovation and durability, combining modern construction technologies with environmentally responsive strategies. Natural light, flexible learning environments, and integrated digital infrastructure contribute to a dynamic educational experience suited to contemporary higher education.
The architects have demonstrated extraordinary technical virtuosity in constructing five major acoustically sensitive recital, recording and performance spaces over an active train line and bus station.
The project plays a significant role in the revitalisation of central Perth by increasing cultural, residential and economic activity within the city centre. Through its architectural presence and civic integration, the ECU City Campus demonstrates how thoughtful architecture can create urban identity, foster social interaction, and contribute meaningfully to the future development of Perth as a connected and progressive global city.
The Hillson Beasley Award for Educational Architecture
ECU City realises Edith Cowan University’s ambitious relocation of the School of Business and Law and Cybersecurity from Joondalup, Arts and Humanities, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and the West Australian Screen Academy from Mount Lawley, into the Perth CBD. The scheme delivers an outstanding work of educational architecture and is the result of extensive collaboration, led by Lyons with Haworth Tompkins, Silver Thomas Hanley and Multiplex, and developed closely with the University over five years.
The project’s complex programmatic, spatial, and technical requirements have been resolved through skilful planning and sectional strategy to create a vertical campus. Carefully considered horizontal and vertical interconnections, clear sightlines, and strong visual and physical links to the public realm, together with thoughtfully detailed interiors, high-quality materials, and a confident use of colour, combine to produce rich, varied, and highly legible spatial experiences.
As the client observes, “The campus meaningfully supports how students and staff work, learn, and connect, encouraging collaboration, accessibility, and belonging.” Beyond fulfilling the brief, ECU City acts as a catalyst for urban regeneration and reimagines the contemporary university as a civic, social, and cultural institution.
The ECU City Campus Project reflects a design process grounded in collaboration, clarity of purpose and a strong sense of place. Architecturally led by Lyons, the project brought together a multidisciplinary team through an open and responsive approach that fostered trust and shared ownership across the university. Careful consideration of context, narrative and the public realm has resulted in a distinctive and coherent campus identity.
The campus meaningfully supports how students and staff work, learn and connect, encouraging collaboration, accessibility and belonging. The outcome is a campus that meets functional needs while positively shaping ECU’s learning environment and institutional culture.
Neil Appleton, Design Architect
Paul Dash, Project Architect
Diana Jones, Design Architect
Tess O’Meara, Design Architect
Daniel Zarko, Design Architect
Alex McCabe, BIM Documentation
Elliot Wong, BIM Documentation
Nina Wyatt, Design Architect
Carey Lyon, Design Architect
Juan Yang, Design Architect
ASPECT Studios, Landscape Consultant
CharcoalBlue, Theatre Consultant
Marshall Day Acoustics, Acoustic Consultant
Stantec, Structural, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Specialist Lighting, Hydraulic, Fire, VT, Traffic Services
JMO Facades, Facade Engineer
Aurecon, ESD Consultant
Milestone, Building Certifier
Xero Fire, Fire Engineer
O’Brien Harrop Access, Access Consultant
UTC, AV Consultant
Buro North, Signage and Wayfinding Consultant
Golders, Geotechnical Engineer
Altura, Facade Access