One of the largest office bldgs to be built in Australia over past few years.
the former KENS Project which is home to HQ of Westpac wil consist of 74,000sqm of space over 30 levels. Each floor is over 3000sqm with 3,000sqm of retail on lower floors.
The two tower design has a central core. western tower-21 levels/100m high and Kent st tower- 32levels/140m high. A 30m weather beacon on top wil be completed early 2006 and should be a dramatic additon to the western skyline.Designed by JPW, the massive bldg measures nearly 80m wide x 65m thick.
Its oiginal DA called for 3x 80m/25st unit blocks, but was soon changed to twin towers 100m/120m high and then after a design comp the JPW design was chosen.
A LOOKBACK AT KENS/WESTPAC CONSTRUCTION HISTORY
(many thanks to all who photographed the great building)

the original council carpark on kent st
March 7,2003
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid54/p316a5d3ae9e6a5934e423b2d4c4f8adb/fc8ad895.jpg

early demolition
aug 2003
http://athene.riv.csu.edu.au/~towers02/ForSkyScrapersCityPage/POr/KDSC03090.JPG

sept 2003
http://www.skyscrapers.com/files/transfer/6/2003/09/217295.jpg

core begins
jan 2004
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid99/p4f66b0d6e2ba9d15767c6a37aac125c6/f9eee3f4.jpg

may 2004
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid114/p66c5a14a7cec6fd598bffb2a23e84b2b/f8d5bdd5.jpg

Aug 2004
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid133/p79515dd9d348626721a2791bec026856/f787961a.jpg

Nov 2004
http://img92.exs.cx/img92/2481/kensnov22.jpg

jan 2005
https://extranet.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2004/12/327659.jpg

March 2005
http://img174.exs.cx/img174/5517/kensmarch86ml.jpg


May 2005
http://img84.echo.cx/img84/575/kens10017zh.jpg


Aug 2005
http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/7028/kensshortsmall1hp.jpg

oct 2005
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6121/kensoct246rd.jpg

nov 2005
http://img314.imageshack.us/img314/5751/kensframe9py.jpg

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/7421/kenscrop10711051qq.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/7550/kensclose7gw.jpg

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/9269/kensfat2rt.jpg

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3441/kensfrombridge2fu.jpg

no piccies yet for dec!!

Excellent documentation. Thank you.

i think all tall bldgs that have a few threads over there lifetime should end with a historic look at its progress.gives you an instant record before its stored in archives just incase you missed it.lol
i cant wait for the ground areas to be completed and of course the beacon.hopefully get some nice night shots.

Thanks Cul very informative.

Very nice progress shots Cul! But you should change the titles of threads about this building to its new name: Our Great Place. I'm not kidding - I keep finding articles that now refer to the building as "OGP", so I think this is now the official new name for the complex.

Examples:

- From movecorp.com.au:
Westpac has appointed MoveCorp to assist in the management of its' Relocation to OGP

Westpac's "Our Great Place" will house some 5,000 staff coming from multiple locations - and MoveCorp is providing much of the relocation planning and management. Consequential relocations will involve several thousand other staff. Having successfully completed the relocation of the National Australia Bank in Melbourne last year we were ready for this challenging task!

- from www.bibraconsulting.com.au

Project Westpac "Our Great Place" project, Sydney CBD
Scope Catering services concepts for new corporate head office, 32 levels, 5,200 pop
Brief to develop benchmark Food and Beverage concepts
Undertake market analysis and ascertain viability
Define menu direction | operating infrastructure and strategy
Food and beverage area definition |design strategy and liaison
Recommended equipment and specifications

Client Westpac Banking Corporation

Project timeline 2004 - 2006

- from www.pivod.com

The frontrunner in the financial field is Westpac, which will have 7000 IP handsets at 14 Sydney offices by the end of the year in preparation for a move to its new hi-tech Sydney headquarters next year.

About 5000 staff will work at these offices, dubbed Our Great Place (OGP). Westpac intends to introduce IP telephony as part of an organisation-wide technology refresh. Its partners are Telstra and Cisco. The latter has a deal for about half of the 21,000 handsets required for the project.

lol, ya kidding?
i still call it kens.
i dont think any of us will call it our great place?
ill stick with westpac HQ

I despise this building. Somewhere between my hatred of SXO(less) and UW(more). DEATH TO SLABS!!!!
To much space for to little height.

Great thread CULWULLA.

Now Grosvenor Place boasts 88,000sqm of space. I'm just wondering about Governor Phillip Tower as it is quite a huge bloody thing (and not including the bladed crown either). Also the adjoining Rialto Towers in Melbourne, but both are rather slender.

BTW Our Great Place LOL looks so small (sharp 'n smart but small) from the pano uewepuep posted HERE (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=289824&page=2)

They call this hidious slab of black block "Our Great Place". Are they blind???

No kidding, it's Westpac.

its nice, like the glass lol.

but that building with telstra on it next to it is just disgusting ! :puke:

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/3381/kenssqueeze4me.jpg

That is a great photo Culwulla !!!!!! The only shame is that big sliver of glass ( podium) at the bottom didn't come out in the photo too well.

Oi, how many lifts does Westpac have? That is one bloody big core!!!!!

Westpac has 25 lifts. most in oz?