Curtin University Kalgoorlie Student Accommodation

A regional institution of global reach, Curtain University has a number campuses in Western Australia as well as Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Mauritius. Its campus in the historic Goldrush town of Kalgoorlie, 600 kilometres east of Perth, is today the base for the globally renowned WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering. And while the campus specialises in mining and metallurgy, it also offers courses in health, education and commerce, making for a diverse body. 

This cost-efficient and sustainable student accommodation village provides 180 high quality self-contained living units, in a mix of studio and six-bedroom dormitory configurations, including accessible units — constructed from prefabricated modules manufactured in China.  

The three- and four-storey buildings have been clustered around open courtyards with barbecue facilities while the six-bedroom modules flank the circulation spine (lift and stair lobby) with central communal spaces or studio apartments on alternate levels. 

Steel cladding echoes Australia’s rural vernacular and industrial architecture with excellent durability, in a colour palette referencing the local natural landscape and minerology: red soil, grey stone and eucalyptus green with flashes of gold. 

Façade panels are overlapped and angled to create plays of light and shadow while also ventilating the wall cavity for increased thermal performance. Northern elevations have full-width sun shading, while east and west elevations are clad in light coloured sheets with heavily shaded tall, narrow windows to minimise solar heat gain.