108 St Georges Terrace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 108 St Georges Terrace |
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108 St Georges Terrace tower in 2017
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| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | Perth, Western Australia |
| Address | 108 St Georges Terrace |
| Coordinates | 31°57′16″S 115°51′25.5″E / 31.95444°S 115.857083°E |
| Construction started | 1981 |
| Completed | 1988 |
| Cost | A$120 million |
| Owner | Mutliplex (50%), Stockland (50%) |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 247 metres (810 ft) |
| Roof | 214 metres (702 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 50 (plus 2 below ground) |
| Floor area | 39,500 square metres (425,000 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 15 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Cameron Chisolm Nicol |
| Developer | Austmark International and R&I Bank |
| Main contractor | Multiplex |
108 St Georges Terrace, also known as South32 Tower, is a tall office building in Perth, Western Australia. It has 50 floors above ground and two below. Finished in 1988, the building reaches 214 metres (702 ft) to its roof. Its communication antenna adds more height, making it 247 metres (810 ft) tall in total.
When it was completed, it was the tallest building in Perth. It held this title until 1992. Today, it is still one of the city's tallest buildings. The tower is made of concrete and has a special triangular shape. Over the years, it has been known by different names, including the Bankwest Tower and the Bond Tower.
The land where the tower stands used to be home to the famous Palace Hotel. People tried to save the hotel from being knocked down. Later, a businessman named Alan Bond bought the land. He planned to build the tower while keeping parts of the old hotel. The tower was once the main office for Bond's companies. It was also the headquarters for Bankwest until 2012. Since 2015, the mining company South32 has used it as its main office.
Contents
History of the South32 Tower
Early Days of the Site
The spot where the tower stands is a very old and important location in Perth. Since the 1830s, it has been a place with a special license to sell drinks. In 1897, during Western Australia's gold rush, the grand Palace Hotel opened here. This hotel had a lively past and welcomed many famous people.
In 1972, the Commonwealth Bank bought the land. They announced plans to build new tall office buildings.
Saving the Palace Hotel
In the 1950s and 1960s, many old buildings in Perth were torn down. This made many people upset. They felt the city council was approving too many new developments. Because of this, a group of people called "The Palace Guards" formed. They worked hard to save the historic Palace Hotel.
Their protests led to the hotel being listed as a heritage property. This meant it was protected. The Commonwealth Bank then sold the property to businessman Alan Bond in 1978. He also bought the nearby Terrace Arcade.
Building the Tower: 1978–1988
In 1980, Alan Bond shared his new plans for the site. He tried to save parts of the Palace Hotel. His plan kept the hotel's front and main entrance. However, building the new office tower meant some parts of the hotel had to be removed. These included the Terrace Arcade and the hotel's dining room.
The reason given was that earlier changes to the hotel had made its structure weak. There were also problems with white ants. The new building was bigger than what city rules usually allowed. But the Perth City Council approved it. They did so on the condition that the Palace Hotel would continue to operate.
Construction Begins
Work started in August 1981. By August 1983, the tower's foundation and three levels of underground parking were finished. But there were doubts about the project, which slowed things down. This changed in September 1984. The R&I Bank agreed to work with Bond Corporation on the project.
The R&I Bank was owned by the Western Australian government. The bank asked the Premier, Brian Burke, for advice before investing. After the bank joined, the developers got permission to change the plan. The Palace Hotel could now be used as a bank instead of a public hotel.
Multiplex, the main builder, then continued construction. Office space in the tower was rented out quickly. By October 1985, almost all the floors were leased. The Palace Hotel closed in June 1986. In April 1987, while the tower was still being built, five men were arrested. They had illegally entered the site and parachuted from the top. Construction moved fast, with about one floor finished every eight to ten days.
Tower Completion
The tower took three years to build. The first people moved in during July 1988. The building officially opened in October 1989. It cost A$120 million to build.
When it was finished, it was the 88th tallest building in the world. It was also the third tallest in Australia and the tallest in Perth. It took over from St Martins Tower as Perth's tallest. It was also the eighth tallest concrete skyscraper in the world. However, plans were already in place for an even taller building nearby. This building would become Central Park.
After Completion: 1988–2012
The top three floors of the building were used by Alan Bond's company, Dallhold Investments. In November 1987, Alan Bond bought a famous painting called Irises. He showed it in a special art gallery on the 49th floor in December 1988.
As Bond's companies faced money problems, Bond Corporation sold its half share in the building to R&I Bank for $108 million. This made R&I Bank the full owner. In 1991, as Bond's business empire collapsed, he moved his offices out of the tower. The top three floors then stayed empty for almost ten years.
Name Changes and New Owners
When it first opened, the tower was called both the Bond Tower and the R&I Tower. This was because both company logos were on the building. The Bond Corporation logos were later removed. By the end of 1994, the building's signs were changed. They now showed the new name and logo of its owner, Bankwest.
Bankwest sold the building in November 1994 for $146 million. It was bought by Jetcloud Pty Ltd, which was mostly owned by AMP. However, Bankwest kept its main lease on the building. In 2000, Bankwest used about 20 floors.
In 2002, Valad bought half of the tower for $92.5 million. They then sold it to Stockland in 2007. Meanwhile, Multiplex gained its half share in the tower. This happened when it merged with Ronin Property Group in 2004. In 2008, Brookfield Multiplex tried to sell its half share. But the sale did not go through.
Bankwest Moves Out
In 2006, Bankwest announced it would not renew its lease. It planned to move to a new tower at Raine Square. But the Raine Square project was delayed. So, in November 2009, Bankwest had to extend its lease in the Bankwest Tower for five more years.
In January 2015, it was announced that South32, a mining company, would lease a large amount of office space. They signed a 10-and-a-half-year lease starting in May 2015. South32 also gained the right to name the tower and put its sign on the roof.
In 2017, some glass panels on the building broke. Glass pieces fell, so the owners put up temporary covers to protect people below. They then fixed the building.
Design and Features
The architects Cameron Chisholm Nicol designed the tower. Their main goal was to make sure all offices had great views of the Swan River. They chose a triangular shape for the tower. This shape allows natural light to reach most parts of the offices. The stepped design on the front also creates more corner offices on each floor.
The eastern and northern sides of the building are solid concrete walls. They have fewer windows. These sides hold the building's services, like the lift shafts and stairwells. The top five floors have diagonal slopes. Special pre-made concrete panels were used for these parts.
Inside the Tower
The floors of the tower are made of concrete beams and slabs. The building has 14 passenger lifts. These lifts are divided into three groups: low-rise (for floors G-17), mid-rise (18–29), and high-rise (30–51). This was one of the first buildings in Australia to use such a system.
The tower's entrance area was first planned to be an open space. But wind tests showed that it needed to be covered. So, a glass roof was added. The glass walls of the tower were also tested. They were checked to make sure they could handle strong winds, like those from a cyclone, and earthquakes. The building has green-tinted double-pane glass windows. The service areas are covered with light grey metal sheets.
Foundation and Spire
The building weighs about 66,000 tonnes (146,000,000 lb) above ground. It stands on 43 large concrete and steel piles. These piles go about 30 metres (98 ft) deep. They pass through three layers of swamp to reach solid rock. The piles are between 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) and 2.9 metres (9 ft 6 in) wide. The basement of the building is 16 metres (52 ft) deep. It has a thick wall to stop water from getting in.
While the building was being built, a 48-metre (157 ft) spire was approved for the top. This spire holds TV and radio antennas. It also has microwave antennas, navigation lights, and cameras. The spire was added when the building was finished.
Gallery
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Bankwest Glass windows
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The northern side of the tower as viewed from William Street
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A typical view over the Swan River from an office in the tower
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A view showing the north and east sides of the building, which contain the service cores
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The Palace Hotel and the forecourt's distinctive spiked glass roof
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View of 108 from the corner of William Street and St Georges Terrace
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View of the tower from South Perth
| List of tallest buildings in Australia | |||||
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| Heights are to highest architectural element. | |||||
See also
In Spanish: 108 St Georges Terrace para niños
