The Curtin Bicycle Hub is a key component of Curtin University’s Creative Quarter precinct, located at the southern terminus of the Sir Charles Court Promenade and adjacent to major centres for learning across the arts, humanities and engineering disciplines. The Creative Quarter delivers high quality facilities, amenities, and opportunities for activation throughout the day, creating a vibrant environment where students, staff and visitors can gather and linger. Designed by Coniglio Ainsworth Architects in collaboration with Place Laboratory, the Bicycle Hub promotes cycling as a convenient and sustainable mode of transport on campus.
Key features include:
‘All access’ (all-gender) end-of-trip amenities, including wash, change and locker facilities
Secure, high-quality bicycle storage
A two-tier bicycle stacking system accommodating approximately 200 bicycles
An accessible roof deck forming a ‘fifth façade’, reached via a sloping green roof and lift
The design integrates the hub within the broader landscape of the Creative Quarter, making it an integral part of the outdoor experience while delivering high-quality end-of-trip facilities. The green roof extends the building’s function, providing a flexible, elevated space for relaxation, connection, events, and activation.
Curtin University strongly supports cycling to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips. A 2015 Cycle Access Management Plan identified a shortfall in high-quality storage and end-of-trip facilities. Consultation with stakeholders—including the Disability Access and Inclusion Committee and the LGBTQI Advisory Committee—ensured the hub responds to diverse user needs, from cyclists and active commuters to people with disability and those seeking gender-neutral amenities.
The project has had broader impact across Perth and internationally. It has hosted events such as the Department of Transport’s “Ride2Curtin” day as part of the “Your Move” program, encouraging mode shift toward walking, cycling, and public transport. Its two-tier bicycle storage system has also informed similar solutions at METRONET and Public Transport Authority station projects.
Internationally recognised, the Bicycle Hub was selected as one of 15 projects worldwide for the 2019 Bicycle Architecture Biennale in Amsterdam. The biennale was featured across major international media including The Guardian, Forbes, World Economic Forum, Elle Décor Japan, and the Dutch Financial Times, and toured globally to cities including Amsterdam, Oslo, Rome, Ghent, and Dublin.
Locally, the Curtin Creative Quarter and Bicycle Hub has received recognition through numerous industry awards from the WA Institute of Architects and the WA chapter of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.
Photography by Dion Robeson, Curtin University and Lighting Brick Pavers.
AWARDS
2020 WA Architecture Awards
Winner of The Jeffrey Howlett Award for Public Architecture
Commendation for Urban Design
2019 AILA WA Landscape Architecture Awards
Winner of the Award of Excellence (Infrastructure)
2019 Urban Design Awards
Shortlisted