Westpac Place

Westpac Place
General information
Type	Commercial skyscraper
Location	275 Kent Street, Sydney, Australia
Current tenants	Westpac
Construction started	2003
Completed	4 August 2006
Landlord	Mirvac Blackstone Real Estate Asia
Height	166 metres
Technical details
Floor count	33
Design and construction
Architect	Johnson Pilton Walker
Developer	Leighton Properties
Main contractor	Leighton Contractors

Westpac Place (commonly referred to as the Palace as it is Westpac's premier working environment above all others) is a commercial skyscraper located in the north-western corridor of the Sydney central business district, Australia. The building is fully leased to Westpac until 2017, and is the bank's Australian headquarters. From 2017 to 2029 Westpac will occupy a reduced area, being the ground floor to level 23. The remainder of the floors are expected to be sub leased by the landlords.^[1][2]

The building was built for the Westpac Office Trust, being included in the sale of the trust to Mirvac in 2010.^[3][4] In July 2014, Mirvac sold a 50% share in the building to Blackstone Real Estate Asia.^[5]

Opening

Westpac Place was officially opened by Prime Minister John Howard on 4 August 2006, marking the completion of the project developed by Leighton Properties.^[6][7]

Architecture

Westpac Place as seen from the Pyrmont Bridge

The architectural roof feature on top of Westpac Place has become a major part of the Sydney city skyline. This feature incorporates a weather beacon barometer, and is a key component of the overall composition of the project. It was also a principal element of Johnson Pilton Walker's Design Excellence competition winning design for the site in 2001. The barometer is a particular response to 'place', and alludes to the maritime history of the precinct. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the site was at the harbour's edge, being the heart of Sydney's maritime trade, and was the principal trade route into the city centre.

The architectural roof feature comprises:

• Two metal clad base elements with the larger of the two capped by an internally illuminated white glass tower. The glass tower is 25 metres high and nine metres across.
• Eight red LED illuminated bars (on the north and south faces of the white glass tower), the lowest representing 990 hPa, rising in 5 hPa increments to the top bar representing 1025 hPa. This provides real time information on barometric pressure changes. Generally low pressure indicates inclement weather and high pressure with good or clear weather (although this is not always the case). As the pressure rises or falls, the LED bars will appear to ripple in an upward or downward direction respectively. The illumination level of the LED bars and tower is controlled by a roof mounted photosensor. The LEDs will be brightest in the middle of the day, and will start to smoothly dim before dusk, and after darkness will reach a low illumination level.

References