Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

How Perth is getting a new heart and why we're pumped

OK, Perth city is not on life support. It's moving along nicely as WA's growing capital. But it's getting a serious boost in early 2026 and it's going to be exciting.

ECU new city campus Aerial view of the proposed building for the exciting ECU City Campus.

If you're a university student, or think you might be soon, you probably know what we're on about.

It's Perth's first fully comprehensive inner-city university campus.

Spanning 11 super-levels, the vision for this vertical feat of engineering is to be sensory, bold, and at the forefront of technology and innovation.

ECU City will define the future of universities.

That's a big call, we know. But now you can understand why we're pumped!

A cocktail of human creativity

The thing about this new campus is that it will bring a bunch of different tribes together who don't always share the same space.

So there will be people who are traditionally regarded as 'creative'.

You know, the art and design crowd, the music, drama, performing and production types, plus media and communications, film and TV people.

Their new neighbours will be the business, commerce and entrepreneurial gurus. Not to be denied creativity this lot.

And just to spice things up with some proper digital smarts, we're inviting the technologists to join our creative cocktail.

"But you can't make people work together just because they're in the same building," we hear you saying.

Until you've seen how this place is going to look and function, we understand why you'd ask that.

But this building is being designed in a way that not only encourages students, staff and industry professionals to cross-pollinate across disciplines.

It's also going to be open to the public in ways no other campus has ever been!

Proposed new building in Perth city Street level view of the proposed building for ECU City in the heart of Perth, Western Australia.

This has been a learning place for millennia

And here's something you may not know about the site of this emerging educational extravaganza.

It was once a learning and gathering place for the traditional owners, the Whadjuk Noongar people.

How fantastic is that?

Of course, ECU has always been a leader in education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, especially in the creative arts.

The university's Kurongkurl Katitjin Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research will continue to be a part of that leadership and will also find a new home at ECU City.

ECU is passionate about ensuring this special place acknowledges and celebrates its roots, while continuing to educate today's Indigenous Australians.

Want a sneak peek of a university of the future?

This animation will give you an idea of how we're building Perth's new heart.

Read more about ECU City