Westpac Place facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Westpac Place |
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| General information | |
| Type | Commercial skyscraper |
| Location | 275 Kent Street, Sydney, Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°51′57″S 151°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 | Johnson Pilton Walker |
| Developer | Leighton Properties |
| Main contractor | Leighton Contractors |
Westpac Place is a tall office building, also known as a skyscraper. It is located in the main business area of Sydney, Australia. This building is the main office for the Westpac bank in Australia.
The building was first built for the Westpac Office Trust. In 2010, the company Mirvac bought this trust, which included Westpac Place. Later, in July 2014, Mirvac sold half of its share in the building to Blackstone Real Estate Asia.
When Westpac Place Opened
Westpac Place was officially opened on August 4, 2006. The Prime Minister at the time, John Howard, helped open the building. This event marked the end of the building project. The project was developed by a company called Leighton Properties.
The Cool Roof Feature
The special design on top of Westpac Place is a big part of the Sydney city skyline. This feature includes a weather beacon and a barometer. A barometer measures air pressure. This part of the building helps it fit in with the area's history. Long ago, in the late 1700s and early 1800s, this area was right next to the harbour. It was a busy place for ships and trade.
The special roof feature has a few parts:
- It has two metal-covered base parts. The larger one has a white glass tower that lights up from inside. This glass tower is 25 metres tall and 9 metres wide.
- There are eight red LED light bars on the north and south sides of the white glass tower. The lowest bar shows 990 hPa (a unit for pressure). The bars go up in steps of 5 hPa, with the top bar showing 1025 hPa. This shows the air pressure in real time.
- Generally, low pressure means bad weather is coming, and high pressure means good or clear weather. But this is not always true.
- As the pressure goes up or down, the LED bars will look like they are moving up or down.
- A sensor on the roof controls how bright the LED bars and tower are. They are brightest in the middle of the day. They start to dim smoothly before it gets dark. After dark, they reach a low light level.
