Home Property Australia Australian Education City a smart solution for Melbourne’s west

Australian Education City a smart solution for Melbourne’s west

  • April 30, 2019
  • by Anuja Prasad

A $30 billion Silicon Valley-style hub could transform one of Australia’s fastest growing municipalities, creating 80,000 new jobs and taking pressure off the CBD and inner city, says Richard Ebbs from Jacobs.

Just south of Werribee, roughly 25 kilometres west of Melbourne’s CBD, is the site of what could be Australia’s first smart, sustainable city.

Australian Education City is being led by a consortium under the direction of former Docklands Authority and Barangaroo Delivery Authority CEO John Tabart.

Jacobs is creating the long-range master plan for the new city. The architectural urban design concept on the 412-hectare greenfield site encompasses six million sqm in gross floor area of educational, commercial and residential buildings.

Once complete, the precinct will house a projected population of 100,000 people, sustain an expected 80,000 local jobs and attract tens of thousands of commuters each day.

The high-tech precinct is proposed to combine industry and universities, filling the shortfall of skilled professional employment in the area while boosting high-value manufacturing jobs as Australia transitions from traditional industries, such as car manufacturing.

The project will be home to a new university with more than 40,000 international students. Art galleries and major sports facilities, a bustling city centre bordering the water and high-rise apartments are included in the vision.

Richard Ebbs, who manages the relationship between Jacobs and AEC says the design “maximises mobility and community connectedness” and offers a “world-class example of sustainability”.

“As a large infill urban design project in one of the world’s most liveable cities, we have carefully designed the precinct to incorporate cutting-edge architecture, facilities and services, while respecting the character and history of the community,” he says.

“It will have a direct connection to Melbourne’s extensive transit system, a network of trails, parks and accessible open space and aggressive targets for energy use, water recycling and building performance,” he says.

Jacobs worked with the lead investor and technology partners – including IBM, Cisco, Telstra and Honeywell – to develop a “cognitive city strategy” which provides a framework for smart services.

It “also recognises the role that technology plays in enabling smart infrastructure solutions – like the ‘smart lake’ that uses intelligent systems to manage water levels based on predictive weather data and use of below-ground aquifers,” Ebbs adds.

Subject to Victorian Government approval the initial phase of development is planned for 2023 and will include the university, community and commercial components.

Learn more about Australian Education City and Jacobs’ master-plan.