LEND LEASE : CELEBRATES A HIGH POINT AT TOWER 2 INTERNATIONAL TOWERS SYDNEY

Lend Lease has achieved a significant construction milestone at Barangaroo South, reaching the highest point of construction for Tower 2 at International Towers Sydney (ITS).

Lend Lease Group CEO and Managing Director, Steve McCann, welcomed New South Wales (NSW) Premier, The Honourable Mike Baird MP and more than 100 guests to the highest point of the 7.6 hectare site for the ancient Scandinavian tree ritual.

Speaking from the summit of the 42-level tower, Mr McCann acknowledged the efforts of those working on the project: "After 22 months of construction and more than two million worker hours, the enthusiasm and dedication of our team to reach this milestone on Tower 2 has been phenomenal.

"Barangaroo South forms part of the multi-billion dollar transformation currently underway across our city and is testament to our vision to create the best places. We are delighted to share this special occasion with our key supporters including NSW Premier Mike Baird, our valued investors, and our Tower 2 anchor tenants, Westpac and Gilbert + Tobin."

NSW Premier Mike Baird said Barangaroo is the epicentre of the economic turnaround in NSW: "The dramatic transformation happening on the western edge of Sydney's CBD is unlike anything we've seen before. I congratulate all involved on achieving this major milestone and look forward to the opening of International Towers Sydney in the near future."

Designed by internationally acclaimed architects Lord Richard Rogers and Ivan Harbour, ITS has been benchmarked against the best office developments in New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. Its large, flexible floor plates has attracted leading organisations including Westpac, PwC, HSBC, KPMG and Gilbert + Tobin and will add around 270,000 square metres of premium office space to Sydney - similar in scale to both the three towers at Marina Bay Financial Centre in Singapore and the three towers at Canary Wharf in London.

Danny Gilbert, Managing Partner of leading law firm Gilbert + Tobin said: "Our firm has earned a reputation for its entrepreneurial culture and determination to succeed, and we believe the move to International Towers Sydney will greatly enhance our ability to deliver the best results for our clients, partners and people."

Westpac Chief Operating Officer, John Arthur added: "Bringing our teams together from across disparate Sydney sites to the landmark Barangaroo development will enable our employees to benefit from an attractive, highly efficient and collaborative working environment."

ITS has been under construction since October 2011 and are designed to become the most sustainable high-rise buildings in Australia. To date, two of the three towers have achieved a 6 Star Green Star - Office v3 rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. The first Westpac employees will move to ITS from mid-2015.

For more information on ITS and Barangaroo South, please visit barangaroosouth.com.au