The ECU City Campus is one of Western Australia’s most ambitious education projects. Designed to support future-focused learning while reinvigorating Perth’s CBD, the 65,000m² multi-level campus brings together performance, creativity, technology and collaboration in a single vertical environment.
Castledex was engaged to deliver the complete FF&E scope, comprising more than 5,500 individual items across a highly complex and diverse range of spaces.
At the centre of the project were four women leading across client, architecture and delivery: Jemma Tuimavave (Castledex), Eva Tam (Edith Cowan University), Carla Coelho (Multiplex) and Diana Jones (Lyons). Together, they navigated one of the most complex projects of their careers, beginning in the middle of a global pandemic.
What the Project Needed
Multiplex and Edith Cowan University required more than a furniture solution. The brief called for a fully integrated, future-focused environment capable of supporting a wide range of teaching, performance and collaborative spaces.
From the outset, it was clear this would not be a standard FF&E schedule. A cookie-cutter approach was never going to work. The campus spans performing arts, creative industries, technology and collaborative learning environments, each with highly specific functional and technical requirements.
The project demanded a “listening first, specifying second” approach. School and Centre representatives were deeply involved throughout the process, providing detailed insight into how spaces would function day to day, how students would move through them, how performances would be rehearsed, and how environments would need to adapt over time.
How we deliver
The project commenced during COVID, with early workshops, design reviews and stakeholder engagement conducted via Teams. Despite the physical distance, collaboration remained strong, transparent and solutions-focused, strengthening clarity and trust across all stakeholders.
Castledex facilitated detailed workshops and line-by-line reviews with ECU, Multiplex and Lyons to define the function, form and specification of more than 5,500 individual items. The scope extended far beyond standard furniture, including workstations, performance seating, mixing desks, wardrobe systems and ballet barres.
Each item was carefully interrogated against functional requirements. Assumptions were challenged, and standard schedules refined to ensure the right solution for each space.
Where off-the-shelf solutions fell short, bespoke pieces were developed for specialist environments. Careful consideration was given to DDA compliance, aesthetics, sustainability, durability and the integration of complex AV systems.
This process was supported by rigorous documentation and detailed shop drawings, enabling stakeholders to clearly visualise outcomes prior to procurement. Design development alone spanned more than seven months, reflecting the scale and level of detail required.
The result
Installation was delivered over a six-month period, with coordinated teams working across all levels in close alignment with electrical and AV contractors.
The result is a campus that is not simply furnished at scale, but furnished with intent. Every element has been carefully considered to support performance, creativity and collaboration across disciplines.
The ECU City Campus supports more than 10,000 students and staff while contributing to the revitalisation of Perth’s CBD.
For the four women leading this project, it represents the largest and most complex undertaking of their careers. More importantly, it demonstrates the power of collaborative leadership, where strong relationships, deep listening and shared problem-solving deliver exceptional outcomes.
