Rising prominently above the skyline of Perth, the new ECU City Campus is set to become one of the most distinctive architectural landmarks in Western Australia. Designed as the centrepiece of the Perth City Deal, the $development is more than a university building — it is a bold urban statement that connects education, culture, technology and public space in the heart of the city.
The campus was conceived by a renowned international design team led by Lyons Architecture, with design leadership from Neil Appleton. Working in collaboration with Silver Thomas Hanley and Haworth Tompkins, the project delivers an expansive 65,000 m² campus spanning eleven super-levels and designed to accommodate more than 10,000 students and staff. Construction was delivered by global contractor Multiplex, known for building some of the world’s most iconic structures, including the legendary Wembley Stadium in London.
A defining feature of the building is its spectacular digital LED media façade. Fully integrated within the building’s distinctive aluminium fin facade architecture is a large-scale media façade that transforms the exterior of the campus into a dynamic public canvas. More than 2,800 bespoke Lattice LED fixtures by VML-Technologies are embedded within the vertical façade elements, creating a luminous structure capable of displaying moving imagery, artistic content and public storytelling across two sides of the building.
The artistic vision for this façade lighting was developed by media architecture and lighting design firm Ramus from Melbourne, internationally recognised for creating immersive media architecture and digital storytelling environments. Their concept envisioned a façade that would animate the city at night, blending architecture, light and digital content into a seamless urban experience.
In close collaboration with the Ramus team, VML-Technologies translated the artistic concept into a bespoke hardware solution specifically tailored for the building’s unique façade geometry. Following prototyping a final bespoke range of eleven (11) VML Lattice S-02025 LED video luminaires was designed to integrate perfectly within the aluminium façade lamellas. The eleven different Lattice luminaire lengths, allowing the LED media facade system to follow the architectural rhythm of the fins while maintaining precise pixel alignment for video playback. This modular yet highly customized approach ensured that the media façade would remain visually coherent while adapting to the varying dimensions of the building envelope.
Each Lattice LED tube was developed to deliver high brightness, durability and long-term reliability in the demanding outdoor environment of Perth’s CBD. At the same time, the system maintains the subtle elegance of the architectural façade during the day, becoming a powerful digital canvas only after dark.
The result is a landmark example of integrated media architecture: a building where technology, design and storytelling merge seamlessly. Through the collaboration between Ramus’ creative vision and the engineering expertise of VML-Technologies, the ECU City Campus façade has become a vibrant new symbol for Perth — illuminating the future of education, culture and urban experience.
