The University of Western Australia (UWA) has picked up over 1.16 lakh sq ft of office space in Brookfield-managed commercial property Waterstones in Mumbai’s western suburb Andheri east, as the globally ranked Australian public university prepares to establish its first physical campus presence in India.The Indian arm of the Perth-headquartered institution, the University of Western Australia-India, has taken the entire second floor in the building from Striton Properties, a Brookfield entity, under a leave-and-license agreement commencing this month, showed the documents accessed by ET.The transaction covers a chargeable area of 116,540 sq ft and the university will pay a starting license fee of Rs 205 per sq ft per month, translating into a monthly rental outgo of about Rs 2.39 crore. The agreement includes a 5% annual escalation in both rentals and parking charges.The lease also provides 78 car parking slots, of which half are complimentary while the remaining will be billed at Rs 8,000 per slot per month. The university has deposited a security amount equivalent to six months’ license fee, with a 15% escalation clause after three years.The University of Western Australia will pay roughly Rs 160-161 crore in total occupancy cost over the total lease period, including parking charges and annual 5% escalation.Live EventsFor Brookfield, one of the largest institutional office landlords in India, the deal diversifies its tenant mix while underlining a broader trend, the convergence of education, research, and corporate ecosystems within urban commercial districts.ET’s separate email queries to (UWA) remained unanswered, while Brookfield and transaction advisor JLL India declined to comment.UWA is part of Australia’s research-intensive Group of Eight universities and has been planning India operations following regulatory changes that allow reputed foreign institutions to establish branch campuses in the country. The Mumbai facility is expected to serve as a key academic centre and forms part of its broader India expansion strategy, with another campus planned in Chennai.According to real estate consultants, the transaction highlights the emergence of higher-education institutions as a new occupier category within commercial office real estate, alongside global capability centres, flex-space operators and technology firms.Instead of developing large, standalone campuses on city outskirts, several foreign universities are opting for centrally located Grade-A office spaces that offer metro connectivity, proximity to industry and easier access to urban student catchments.Andheri remains among Mumbai’s most active office micro-markets due to its proximity to the international airport and improving metro connectivity. The area has traditionally attracted multinational corporations and professional services firms, and is now witnessing demand from education and skilling institutions as well.
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