In 2026, the new $853 million ECU City campus will open its doors to 10,000 students and staff in the heart of the Perth CBD, including the world renowned WA Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), reinvigorating the city scape like never before.
ECU City is a space designed to get people excited. Spanning 11 super-levels over 65,000 m2, visitors will be drawn in by vast windows exposing performance spaces and galleries with intentionally curated architecture, light and imagery spilling out of the foyers onto the surrounding streets of Yagan Square. If this doesn’t excite you, an artist impression in the below video definitely will.
Opening to Willliam Street Mall at Yagan Square, ECU City will draw in the public with a dynamic architectural entrance enveloping Perth bus port, recalibrating the public square at the city’s most important transport hub. Streetscapes and laneways will connect to Roe, Queen and Wellington Streets, full of shops, bars and restaurants.
The inclusion of WAAPA is a major boost for the adjacent Perth Cultural Centre, with more than 300 WAAPA events per year adding to attractions including the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the State Library, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) and the State Theatre Centre.
ECU City will also allow students to engage multiple disciplines across the creative industries, business, law and technology. New courses exclusive to ECU City will also be co-created with ECU’s global partners and aim to support Perth’s growing ecosystem for creative industries, technology, film, digital, stage and music production.
A huge aspect of construction and design focuses on celebrating the rich cultural history of the site. ECU has partnered with Whadjuk Noongar Elders to inform design and develop a cultural narrative for the campus and surrounding site. There is also a huge focus on sustainability, with a five-star green rating, sun shading, adaptive and energy efficient climate control, natural ventilation, as well as outdoor green terraces that serve as student common spaces.
What’s on at WAAPA
