Curtin Exchange Precinct
| Program | 2024 Landscape Performance Case Studies |
|---|---|
| Location | Bentley, Western Australia — Whadjuk Noongar Country |
| Project type | University campus landscape |
| Former land use | Carparks and sporting fields |
| Size | 4.9 ha |
| Budget | A$25 million, including bus interchange |
| Completed | December 2021 |
| Designers | REALMstudios; PLACE Laboratory |
| Research team | Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute |
Summary
At Curtin University, eight kilometres south-east of Perth's CBD, former carparks and sporting fields have become a dense, net-zero precinct of student accommodation, social spaces and outdoor settings for teaching and learning — held together by the landscape.
The design is guided by Winin Katidjin Bilya, the Living Knowledge Stream, which honours the intersection of two Whadjuk Noongar Songlines. It traces a seasonal spring that once fed a wetland leading to the Canning River. A network of green infrastructure — roof gardens, green walls, rain gardens and swales — physically connects the Songlines, while the foraging habitat of the endangered Carnaby's Black Cockatoo shaped the planting.
For practitioners and asset owners, the value is in the measurement: this case study quantifies what a culturally grounded, green-infrastructure-led campus precinct actually delivers across environmental, economic, social and cultural performance.
Key findings
- Peak stormwater flow reduced by 32% — from 561.5 to 382.2 L/s — through roof runoff harvesting, rain gardens and swales.
- Potable water use cut by 45%, with around 5,000 kL of rainwater harvested annually to underground storage.
- An 8.5-fold increase in plant diversity, from about 20 species before development to 169 — 68% native, and 21% suited to Carnaby's Black Cockatoo foraging.
- At least 53 bird species observed, including the endangered Carnaby's and vulnerable Red-tailed Black Cockatoos.
- 98.63% occupancy of student accommodation, with half of residents surveyed citing the location and landscape design as the reason they chose it.
- 60–70% of site users engaged in group activities, and over half spending more than fifteen minutes in the space.
Lessons learned
- Collaboration across the university, designers, engineers and the development consortium set a precedent for integrating green infrastructure based on cultural knowledge.
- Educational opportunities in the landscape were underused, and now have a setting through which to reach a wider audience.
- Polystyrene void formers were chosen for cost and insulation; future projects should explore recycled-plastic structural cells instead.
- Planting on structure needs more maintenance, soil improvement and careful species choice than deep-soil planting.
Downloads
Cite as
Burhan, Issana and Peter Newman. “Curtin Exchange Precinct at Curtin University.” Landscape Performance Case Studies Program. Landscape Foundation of Australia, 2024.