Westpac House

Infobox Skyscraper
building_name = Westpac House


caption = Westpac House in 2008
location = Adelaide, Australia
groundbreaking=
constructed = 1988
use = Commercial
antenna_spire =
roof = 135 m (443 ft)
floor_count = 31
developer = Woods Bagot Adelaide
contractor = Baulderstone Hornibrook Pty Ltd, KONE Elevators Pty Ltd, Woods Bagot Adelaide, Santos Limited

Westpac House (formerly Santos House) is the tallest building in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is a 31 storey office tower, reaching 135 metres at its roof, with each level approximately 4 metres in height. Located on Currie Street, Adelaide, it is connected to two adjacent office buildings and has four street frontages, and various pedestrian thoroughfares.

Opened in 1988 as the State Bank Building, it became Santos House after the collapse of the State Bank in the early 1990s. In 2006, Its major tenants included Santos, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Kelly & Co, Ernst & Young, and the Australian Stock Exchange. In 2007, Santos moved their headquarters into a new building on Flinders Street and Westpac acquired the naming rights to the building.

During major holidays, it is not unusual to see windows selectively lit up in formation. Recent examples include a cross for Easter, and a tree (in fluorescent green) for Christmas.

Abacus Property Group acquired a 50% interest in Santos House in October 2004.

Being the tallest building in Adelaide, the Santos building was chosen as the venue for the stair race events at the 2007 World Police and Fire Games.

Between the 11^th and 15^th of May 2007, the 'Santos' sign on the building was removed. Between the dates of the 14^th and 17^th of June 2007 a large white 'W' was placed on all sides, similar to that of the Westpac logo. By the 21 June, the white 'W' had been covered in red, forming the Westpac logo.

References

* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/sk/li/?id=100507&bt=2&ht=2&sro=1 Emporis.com] (General Database of Skyscrapers)
* [http://www.abacusproperty.com.au/AbacusTrust.asp?sub=0060 Abacus property group]

ee also

* List of tallest buildings in Adelaide