WSU Bankstown City Campus Wins at World Architecture Festival

The Western Sydney University Bankstown City Campus received an award in the Inside: Education category at the World Architecture Festival, the world’s largest festival and live awards competition dedicated to celebrating architectural excellence from around the world.

The 18-story vertical campus — a collaboration between HDR, Lyons, Western Sydney University and Walker Corporation — accommodates up to 10,000 students and 1,000 staff and fosters a sense of universal collaboration in a technology-rich environment. The design includes 32 versatile learning and research studios tailored to diverse needs. It features semi-enclosed cabins, reading nooks, and spaces optimized for neurodiverse learners.

Genuine collaboration and an integrated planning process were cornerstones of this project’s success. Academic programs revolve around engagement with the local community, while campus design reflects the cultural heritage of the local Dharug people. The “Wall of Hands,” a piece of steel artwork featuring the markings of 40 years of graduating Indigenous students, honours past WSU Indigenous graduates and celebrates future generations as they continue this tradition.

“The sculptural wall and woven lights, coupled with the permeable, green urban setting that surrounds the campus, has created an inclusive and wellness-driven environment for the richly diverse community and authentically embeds the project within its spiritual, ecological, geological and knowledge systems,” said Alex Wessling, design director and project lead at HDR.

Representing a successful integration of education, business and community engagement in a highly sustainable and innovative mixed-use development, the Bankstown City Campus is poised to set new standards as a world-class learning, education and research facility for the local community, enhancing the civic pride of Western Sydney for years to come.