Learning from Curtin’s Exchange Precinct: Where Culture Guides Design
Supported by a $10K LFA Landscape Performance Case Study grant, this project offers valuable lessons on designing for Country, water and wellbeing.
Image credit: The intersection Pine Plaza, the social heart of the precinct. The main street, Beazley Avenue, interfaces towards the Bus Interchange providing a major pedestrian link between the transit hub and the academic neighbourhood. (source: Luke Carter Wilston 2021)
The Curtin Exchange Precinct in Perth demonstrates how landscape design can integrate cultural connection, enhance biodiversity, and improve liveability on a university campus.
The 4.9 ha transformation — from carparks and playing fields to a walkable mixed-use community — has been guided by Winin Katidjin Bilya (“Living Knowledge Stream”), a framework linking Whadjuk Noongar knowledge with contemporary sustainability science.
Led by REALMstudios in partnership with researchers from the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, the project received a $10,000 grant under the Landscape Performance Case Studies (LPCS) Program of the Landscape Foundation of Australia.
The study measured how cultural values and ecological design can combine to create measurable performance across environmental, social, economic and cultural dimensions.
Landscape performance findings
The research found that the Curtin Exchange Precinct is delivering tangible benefits:
32 % reduction in peak stormwater flow, captured through rain gardens and roof harvesting
45 % reduction in potable water use, saving around 5,000 kL annually — equivalent volume to two Olympic swimming pools
8.5× increase in plant species richness (160 species, 68 % native)
Habitat created for 53 bird species, including the endangered Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo
160 tonnes CO₂e projected sequestration over 20 years through additional trees
98 % student accommodation occupancy driven by landscape quality and amenity
High levels of social activity, with 60–70 % of users observed engaging in group interaction
Designing for Connection to Country
Through close collaboration with Traditional Owners, the design embeds cultural narratives throughout the Precinct in plantings, paving and artwork. A network of green infrastructure, including rain gardens and swales, reveals water flows, while native vegetation and retained mature pines support biodiversity. The result is a living landscape that demonstrates how Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western science can co-create climate-resilient places.
Lessons Learned
Early collaboration in the project processes between designers and Traditional Knowledge Holders is essential to produce meaningful cultural and ecological outcomes.
Monitoring of water, energy and biodiversity performance provides evidence for future sustainability targets.
Indigenous stories are evident in the plantings, diverse landscapes, and landscape design, creating a sense of belonging and cultural continuity
Future opportunities include expanding sustainability reporting and exploring greater use of recycled materials in structural planting systems.
Read the full Curtin Exchange Precinct Case Study → [Download PDF below]
Applications close for the 2026 LPCS Grant Program on Friday, 16 January 2026 → [Find out more]
LFA welcomes questions and comments about the Landscape Performance Case Studies Program.
Please address them to LFA@landscapefoundation.org.au