On air with ECU City: architect insights

Student broadcasters Rachel Maher (left) and Amanda Sabatino (right) with ECU City lead architect Neil Appleton.

ECU City’s lead architect took to the airwaves with ECU broadcasting students on Friday 8 October to share an in depth look at the unique design of the transformational campus.

Broadcasting students will be major beneficiaries of the new campus, with the broadcasting, communications and digital journalism programs all moving to ECU City in 2025.

Kicking off the first of a series of interviews about the new campus, Northside 89.7fm radio hosts Rachel Maher and Amanda Sabatino chatted with Neil Appleton about what students can expect when it opens.

“What’s amazing about the project is that ECU is bringing together the creative industries as well as the business and technology groups, so that idea of colliding those things together could create some really fascinating things going forward,” said Neil.

As director of leading architectural studio Lyons, the award-winning architect has been involved in the design of several city-based university campuses, including RMIT’s New Academic Street in Melbourne, and the University of Newcastle’s NUspace. With extensive experience in university campus design, Neil believes ECU City will be world class.

“The project has the potential to be a world leading facility. It has a dual benefit in that the students can thrive in the middle of the city, and there are economic benefits for the surrounding city businesses,” he said.

“But more importantly, it opens up great synergies for all the creative industries around Yagan Square, such as the theatres, cultural precinct and businesses, to come together at ECU to create an industry-led resurgence in the city.

“From an architectural perspective, we hope that it’s a wonderful place for students to learn in, for staff to teach in, and that it invites the community and the city to come in and enjoy it.”

Tune in weekly to Northside 89.7fm from 9am on Fridays to hear the ECU Breakfast Broadcasting Show, with ECU City insights featured each week until 29 October.