Bankstown City Campus, Western Sydney
Located in the heart of Bankstown, Western Sydney University’s new Bankstown City Campus is the catalyst for the development of a health and education precinct that will impact Western Sydney well into the future. The 18 storey vertical campus replaces the current Bankstown campus and has capacity for up to 10,000 students and 1,000 staff. With land provided by the council and ongoing input from the wider community, the project symbolises economic, social and academic growth for the Bankstown area. As a vertical campus embedded in the city centre, it activates the urban fabric, bringing learning, industry and community together across the day. The state-of-the-art vertical campus meets the current and future aspirations of Western Sydney University, providing diverse learning spaces in a permeable and green urban environment. Our design provides space and opportunities for students, staff, community and commercial business; connects users to key streets, entry points and nearby parks, all without compromising the valuable public space below. This creates flexible learning spaces that extend into the public realm for informal study and collaboration.
Education
Adrian Stanic
Western Sydney University
HDR
74 Rickard Rd, Bankstown NSW 2200
Located on the traditional lands of the Darug people
2950m²
6 Star Green Star Design and As Built Rating
Complete, 2023
“Bankstown City campus will offer highly-accessible, technology-rich teaching and research facilities, and will provide our students with the opportunity to engage in work-integrated learning and collaborative research partnerships. The campus will bring students into the town centre, connecting them with local business and industry and embedding the University in the economic, social and civic life of Bankstown.”
Professor Barney Glover, Vice Chancellor and President, Western Sydney University.
Bankstown City Campus is part of Western Sydney University’s Western Growth strategy to erect vertical campuses within the developing centres of Western Sydney. Our design for Bankstown City Campus calls on our expertise in designing vertical campuses to deliver a project fit for Bankstown central business district. The approach draws on campus master planning principles to organise a dense academic program without losing legibility.
The campus resembles a literal block and stack design, with strategic breaks, step back and rotations in the building form designed in response to the site and to maximise specific areas of solar access. The ground floor design emulates a university street with direct connection between main roads and nearby parks. The building is porous with active street frontages, clear sightlines and height differences used to strengthen wayfinding and connect the building to the street. Clear wayfinding and a permeable ground plane make moving through the building intuitive from street to sky.
A main public stair leads all the way up to Level 1, 2 and 3. Learning studios, study zones and collaborative spaces feature on every level with a range of balconies and terraces providing access to green spaces, fresh air and natural light. Levels 14-18 make up the visually distinct cantilever level, comprising office space, commercial tenants and a plant room. Green terraces and visible stairs double as student engagement spaces, supporting everyday learning outside formal rooms.
Our design for Bankstown City Campus strikes a balance to meet current and future needs while preserving particular aspects of the CBD. Located between Bankstown’s Council administration building, Library and Knowledge Centre, the vertical campus design brings a strong presence on Rickard Road and leaves Appian Way and nearby parks uninterrupted. At ground level, a porous edge supports activation and passive surveillance while welcoming community use.
The function of Appian Way as a significant thoroughfare to the metro station is preserved while Paul Keating Park is left untouched for future development as a public facility. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the project is ensuring maximum solar access to Paul Keating Park and Appian Way throughout the year. To achieve this the building’s cantilever aligns with Appian Way to create a relationship with the park. These massing moves respond to community consultation around park amenity and comfort. The result is a building that complements the surrounding urban landscape, bringing growth to the CBD without taking over.
With six campuses across Western Sydney in locations including Liverpool, Parramatta and Penrith, our design reflects Western Sydney University’s identity and future-focused aspirations. The facade uses vertical, horizontal and diagonal sunshades to bring expression into the form. The layered design brings ideas of stratification, both in a geological sense and in reference to the structure of a university. Integrated shading and material stratification support sustainability and comfort while reinforcing civic identity. The gradient of colours is derived from Western Sydney University’s corporate identity and expanded upon to capture the idea of an energy burst. Ten custom colours in powder-coated aluminium and some terracotta move through a gradient to create warmth of expression. Darker colours are used on the lower levels, helping to ground the building, while brighter colours towards the upper levels provide a sense of lightness to lift the eye. Openings in the facade, softened edges, canopies and window shapes all work together to make a vertical campus that feels permeable, diverse and highly accessible.
The new Bankstown City Campus embeds Western Sydney University in the economic, social and civic life of Bankstown which is already a key public transport, commercial, health and education hub. Co-location with local businesses enables industry partnerships and hands-on learning across the day. Commenting on the impact on the project, the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Barney Glover AO said “Bankstown City campus will offer highly-accessible, technology-rich teaching and research facilities, and will provide our students with the opportunity to engage in work-integrated learning and collaborative research partnerships.” Our design places teaching and learning spaces throughout every level of the building increasing opportunities for the cross pollination of ideas. The vertical campus model supports collaborative learning across disciplines and throughout the day. Students also have access to an abundance of conference spaces, flexible spaces to showcase industry partnerships and innovation, informal learning areas, and social spaces including indoor and outdoor terraces. Adaptable rooms and terraces enable learning space optimisation, supporting timetable shifts and varied teaching modes.
Adrian Stanic, Directors, Practice Executive
View Adrian's Profile
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