Edith Cowan University's (ECU's) new City Campus won several accolades at the 2026 West Australian Architecture Awards.
Edith Cowan University's (ECU's) new City Campus won the most accolades at the 2026 West Australian Architecture Awards, including the most esteemed honour, the George Temple Poole Award.
The $853 million dollar campus, which spans 11 levels and 65,000-square-metres, was recognised with four awards of 14 categories at the Australian Institute of Architect's ceremony.
Melbourne-based Lyons Architecture, Subiaco's Silver Thomas Hanley and London's Haworth Tomkins efforts in bringing ECU City to life earnt the architects the George Temple Poole Award – the highest award in Western Australia.
Describing ECU City as a "masterful feat of civic," the judging jury also awarded the campus design with The RJ Gus Ferguson Award for Urban Design, The Hillson Beasley Award for Educational Architecture and The Julius Elischer Award for Interior Architecture.
Jointly funded by the Albanese Labor Government, the Cook Labor Government, and ECU, the university campus has delivered new energy to Perth's CBD and the Perth City Link precinct since it opened in February 2026.
ECU City is Perth's first comprehensive university in the CBD with a community of more than 10,000 students and staff.
Architects including Melbourne-based Lyons Architecture, Subiaco's Silver Thomas Hanley and London's Haworth Tomkins were awarded for their efforts in bringing ECU City to life.
Externally, ECU City boasts more than 2,800 custom LED lattice fixtures integrated into its distinctive fin façade.
If placed end to end, the luminous fixtures would stretch almost five kilometres. This bespoke system allows video integration across two sides of the campus' exterior, creating a dynamic public experience for visitors moving through Perth's city centre.
An impressive four-storey screen inside the building's main foyer is anticipated to be one of the largest indoor LED displays in Australia.
At 407-square-metres and wrapping across multiple surfaces, it forms an immersive canvas designed for public engagement, creative expression and storytelling.
It will showcase an evolving and curated content program, featuring the creative works of artists and students.
The design principles of ECU City have drawn inspiration from the foundational cultural narratives at the heart of the Cultural Narrative Framework, ‘Life Layers', which was initially articulated by Dr Richard Walley in consultation with Whadjuk Noongar Elders, and reflects the enduring connection between land, water, and culture.
This has guided and shaped the architectural and cultural design of the campus, with ‘Life Layers' reflected throughout - integrated into its façade, with artworks, signage and internal spaces reflecting their meaning.
ECU City is home to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, as well as the School of Business and Law, School of Arts and Humanities' creative industries and technology courses, as well as programs from the University's School of Science.
