Project Spotlight: ECU City – A clients’ perspective
“The architects are constantly challenging themselves. I get the impression that they’re never quite stopping or resting on their laurels. There’s always somebody coming in with a view that is upping the ante, which I think has been really good.”
Sean Henriques, Program Director, Edith Cowan University
Designed by Lyons in collaboration with UK based Haworth Tompkins and Perth based Silver Thomas Hanley, the boundary-breaking ECU City campus design was unveiled in August 2021. ECU City is the centrepiece of the Perth City Deal – a collaboration between the Australian Government, Western Australian Government, City of Perth and ECU. Set to be completed in late 2025, the campus is expected to reshape the heart of Perth and bring new energy to catalyse the city’s business, cultural and entertainment precincts. As one of the largest, most complex university buildings undertaken in Australia, Lyons are thrilled to be leading the design of this world-class project.
ECU City is unique among Australian university campuses in its multi-level integration into the urban fabric.
Recently, Sean Henriques, Program Director at Edith Cowan University spoke with Architecture AU on his experience working with Lyons. His words below.
“We had a number of groups across all disciplines that took a consortium approach to their bids,” Henriques said. “The one consistent theme was having national, international and local partnerships involved – big and small – and they varied in terms of their individual composition. The thing that stood out with the Lyons consortium was the mix of skills between them. We felt that they were very complementary but, individually, they also had extensive experience in particular disciplines and sectors that were really relevant to what we were trying to achieve.
“This is an incredibly complex project. We didn’t want to just replicate what we do now and re-create it some-where else; we specifically wanted the architects to really push us in terms of creativity and thinking. So it was very important for us to get that diversity and range of thinking into the process. The architects are constantly challenging themselves as well. I get the impression that they’re never quite stopping or resting on their laurels. There’s always somebody coming in with a view that is upping the ante, which I think has been really good.”
Take a closer look at the concepts for the university of the future:
Learn more about ECU CityLearn more about ECU City
Quotes originally appeared in Architecture AU, January 2022 issue.
Neil Appleton, Practice Executive, Directors
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Designed by Lyons in collaboration with Haworth Tompkins and Silver Thomas Hanley, the boundary-breaking ECU City campus was unveiled in 2021 and early works are now underway. Recently, Sean Henriques, Program Director at ECU spoke with Architecture AU on his experience working with Lyons.
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