The University of Western Australia’s EZONE

EZONE positions the University of Western Australia at the forefront of STEM education and campus transformation.

A world-class learning space, an incubator for collaborative innovation, an investment in the knowledge economy — EZONE is a dynamic centre for engineering and mathematical science education and a new western gateway to the University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Crawley Campus. With space for students, alumni, researchers and industry partners to come together and thrive, EZONE has been built to connect people and facilitate the exchange of ideas.

State-of-the-art facilities include engineering labs, advanced education workspaces, learning studios, a café and various outdoor areas for socialising and learning. The beautifully sculptured ​‘learning steps’ are a 24/7 central gathering point that encourage physical movement, social connection and informal learning.

Connections between people and spaces are prioritised. Linkways on the first and second floors connect the new EZONE Central to the revamped EZONE North building. A leading example of adaptive reuse, EZONE North — a 1970s era academic building — has been repurposed into a range of versatile spaces, spanning work pods, study spaces, a business incubator, social student hubs and a large multipurpose student event space.

EZONE integrates passive and active sustainability strategies, including carefully considered solar orientation, adaptive reuse of existing structures, self-shading sectional design, advanced engineering systems, solar glass and photovoltaic (PV) cells that convert sunlight directly into electricity. 

Designed as a dynamic structure, EZONE also functions as a practical learning resource for the University to engage with the broader community and put research on display.

An innovative veil façade and PV cell glass skylights are dramatic building features. Consisting of a repeat geometric pattern featuring a six-pointed sun symbol the veil façade is a nod to UWA’s original architect Mr John ​‘Gus’ Ferguson who used the motif throughout the initial campus design. The veil helps mitigates glare and filters sunlight through its perforated petals, mimicking the dappled shade that is the hallmark of the campus. 

The façade design gives EZONE a unique identity, paying homage to mathematics and engineering while maintaining views of the surrounding tree canopies. EZONE showcases internal research processes through large, ground-level windows that blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor activity.

Integrating a garden campus atmosphere with the University’s role as a hub for ideas exchange, creates an outward-looking, globally-oriented environment with a distinct local identity.