Westpac Place | |
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General information | |
Type | Commercial skyscraper |
Location | 275 Kent Street, Sydney, Australia |
Coordinates | 33°51′57″S151°12′15″E / 33.8657927°S 151.2041406°E |
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(s) | Johnson Pilton Walker |
Developer | Leighton Properties |
Main contractor | Leighton Contractors |
Westpac Place is a commercial skyscraper located in the north-western corridor of the Sydney central business district, Australia. The building is the bank's Australian headquarters.
The building was built for the Westpac Office Trust, being included in the sale of the trust to Mirvac in 2010. [1] [2] In July 2014, Mirvac sold a 50% share in the building to Blackstone Real Estate Asia. [3]
Westpac Place was officially opened by Prime Minister John Howard on 4 August 2006, marking the completion of the project developed by Leighton Properties. [4] [5]
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. 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:
Renzo Piano is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (2015), İstanbul Modern in Istanbul (2022) and Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens (2016). He won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1998.
A barometer is a scientific instrument that is used to measure air pressure in a certain environment. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Many measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis to help find surface troughs, pressure systems and frontal boundaries.
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