Silver Thomas Hanley, working with Lyons and Haworth Tompkins, is delivering Edith Cowan University’s City Campus—a landmark, vertical university campus set to energise the Perth CBD and redefine tertiary education in Western Australia. The campus brings together creative industries, business, technology, and WAAPA students into a future-ready learning and workplace environment that prioritises student experience, staff wellbeing, and spatial adaptability.
 

Key features include:

• Modular learning and staff neighbourhoods designed to support hybrid and task-based work

• Flexible spaces that blend academic, research, and professional functions for efficient, multifunctional use

• A user-centred design process with stakeholder-led wayfinding, cultural integration, and biophilic elements inspired by the Western Australian landscape

• Vertical placemaking that layers social, academic, and collaborative zones to create dynamic experiences

• Open and enclosed workpoints featuring sit-stand desks and acoustic adaptability for privacy and focus

• A hybrid workstation strategy evolving from traditional 1:1 desk ratios to more agile, bookable, and collaborative spaces

• Centrally located amenities on each floor, including kitchenettes, lockers, and shared storage to support staff without disrupting work

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This integrated approach enables education, research, and professional activities to coexist seamlessly, supporting ECU’s mission and fostering innovation. Program Director Sean Henriques noted, “The architects are constantly challenging themselves… there’s always somebody coming in with a view that is upping the ante, which I think has been really good.” This endorsement highlights the project’s forward-thinking design and collaborative delivery, resulting in a modern, inclusive, and flexible environment for staff and students alike.

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AWARDS

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2026 Award George Temple Poole Award
Australian Institute of Architecture
ECU City – Lyons with Silver Thomas Hanley and Haworth Tompkins
 

2026 Award Education Architecture - The Hillson Beasley Award
Australian Institute of Architecture
ECU City – Lyons with Silver Thomas Hanley and Haworth Tompkins
 

2026 Award Interior Architecture - The Julius Elischer Award
Australian Institute of Architecture
ECU City – Lyons with Silver Thomas Hanley and Haworth Tompkins
 

2026 Award Urban Design - The John Septimus Roe Award
Australian Institute of Architecture
ECU City – Lyons with Silver Thomas Hanley and Haworth Tompkins