Western Sydney University’s Bankstown City Campus has won the accolade for the world’s best education interior architecture at the World Architecture Festival (WAF).
The multi-award-winning vertical campus has won the INSIDE: Education category, recognising the innovative interior design by architecture and engineering firm HDR.
Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor and President, Distinguished Professor George Williams said the campus has helped bring more students into the heart of Bankstown, embedding the University in the city’s civic and economic life.
“Bankstown City Campus provides a highly accessible, collaborative environment where students can engage in hands-on learning and research partnerships that directly benefit the local community,” Professor Williams said.
Developed and owned by Walker Corporation, the 26,500m² vertical campus rises 18 storeys high and is designed to accommodate 10,000 students and 1,000 staff. The building blends academic spaces with adaptable, technology-rich areas that foster collaboration among students, staff, and industry.
Walker managing director and chief executive officer David Gallant said the award is a testament to the collaboration between Walker, Western Sydney University and HDR to ensure the campus raised the benchmark in design and functionality.
“We are incredibly proud to see Bankstown City Campus celebrated on the global stage for having the world’s best educational fit-out,” Gallant says.
“This accolade is recognition of the transformational vision from our late founder and executive chairman Lang Walker to revitalise the Bankstown CBD by giving locals access to the very best education facilities.
“The campus was also awarded the region’s first 6-Star Green Star design rating, representing 'World Leadership' in environmentally sustainable building practices,” he says.
“We designed the Bankstown City Campus to be a flexible and neurodiverse environment where students and staff can easily transition between different learning styles and settings, connecting education with industry, community and culture in a way that feels seamless, collaborative and inclusive for the diverse student cohort,” HDR design and project lead Alex Wessling said.
“Bankstown City Campus was carefully designed to deliver an exceptional environmental performance over its lifespan. By using furniture made from recycled materials including ocean waste and PET bottles, incorporating thermal and rainwater systems, and prioritising responsibly certified products, we set a new benchmark in sustainable design for the region,” Wessling added.
HDR’s design honours the Dharug people’s heritage with a reimagined ‘Wall of Hands’. Originally at Western Sydney University’s Milperra campus, the five-metre wall featured handprints from 40 years of graduating Indigenous students. Their handprints were digitally preserved and transformed into steel artwork, continuing the tradition of honouring past graduates and inspiring future generations.
Hundreds of hand-woven light pendants created in collaboration with Indigenous artists through a social impact model also promote inclusivity across the campus, making it one of the largest Indigenous art collaborations in Australia.
