RAA Place

RAA Place (formerly Westpac House, Santos House, BankSA Building, and State Bank Building) is an office building located at 91 King William Street, Adelaide. It is a 31-storey office tower, reaching 132 metres (433 ft) at its roof, with each level approximately 4.2 metres (14 ft) in height. From 1988 until 2019, it was the tallest building in Adelaide.

RAA Place
RAA Place, concept image of new sign
RAA Place, concept image of new sign
Former names
  • State Bank Building
  • BankSA Building
  • Santos House
  • Westpac House
EtymologyRAA
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommercial
Architectural styleModernist[1]
LocationAdelaide, South Australia
Address91 King William Street
Coordinates34°55′29″S 138°35′54″E
Current tenants
Construction started1986 (1986)
Completed1988 (1988)
CostA$98 million, equivalent to A$223 million in 2018[2]
Owner

The building was originally built for the State Bank of South Australia and known as the State Bank building, after the 1991 State Bank Collapse renamed to reflect the bank's new name, BankSA. It was purchased by Santos and renamed in February 1997. From 2007 to 2022, after Westpac acquired BankSA, it was known as Westpac House. In December 2022, RAA purchased naming rights to the tower.

History

The structure was opened as the State Bank Building in 1988. It briefly bore BankSA's sturt desert pea logo.[3]

In 2007, Santos moved its headquarters into a new building on Flinders Street, and BankSA's new owners, Westpac, re-acquired the naming rights to the building.[4]

In the lead up to (and during) major holidays, the windows have been selectively lit up in formation. These include a white cross for Easter and Anzac Day, and a tree (in fluorescent green) for Christmas.[5]

Abacus Property acquired a half interest in Santos House in October 2004 and the remaining 50 per cent in 2015.[6] It sold 50 per cent to Inheritance Capital Asset Management in 2016.[7]

At the time (and for 31 years) the tallest building in Adelaide.[3]

In May 2007, the "Santos" sign on the building was removed and a single red "W", the Westpac logo, replaced it.[3]

On 9 December 2022, removal of the Westpac logo from the building's fascia commenced, after Westpac moved its headquarters.[8]

In December 2022 the Royal Automobile Association (RAA) secured two floors and signage rights for the building,[9] which was renamed RAA Place in April 2023.

Installation of RAA signage on the building's fascia commenced on 22 May 2023 on its western side.[10] Unlike previous signage on the building, it has the ability to change colours — deviating from the established yellow-and-white found on the RAA logo — dynamically.[11]

Description

The building is a 31-storey office tower, reaching 132 metres (433 ft) at its roof.[12]

From 1988 until 2019, it was the tallest building in Adelaide.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Westpac House, Adelaide". Emporis. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  2. "Inflation Calculator". Reserve Bank of Australia. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  3. "Westpac departs landmark tower, naming rights up for grabs". The Advertiser. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  4. "Westpac House". Emporis.com. Emporis. n.d. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  5. "Santos House Xmas lights brighten Adelaide skies". Energy News Bulletin. 11 December 2002. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  6. "Westpac House". Abacus Property. Archived from the original on 27 February 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  7. Lenaghan, Nick (31 October 2016). "Boutique investor joins Abacus in Adelaide's tallest tower". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  8. Tauriello, Giuseppe (26 September 2022). "Westpac departs landmark tower, naming rights up for grabs". The Advertiser. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  9. England, Cameron (21 December 2022). "The RAA has taken over naming rights of Adelaide's iconic Westpac building". The Advertiser. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  10. "RAA Place sign installation begins". RAA Daily. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  11. "RAA Place – Adelaide's most iconic city building gets a new name". RAA Daily. 28 April 2023. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  12. "Westpac House". Skyscraper center. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  13. Purcell, Paul (2 November 2019). "View from the top of Adelaide's new tallest building". The Advertiser. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
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