Page 32 - November 2021

MIXED-USE PROFILE - SWISS LIFE BRANNHOF

Restoring Spirit

and Splendour

Swiss Life Asset Managers is an established asset manager and leading
institutional real estate investor in Europe with over 160 years of market
experience and extensive expertise as a risk manager. Here, RLI speaks with Giorgio
Engeli, Head Real Estate Portfolio Management PAM Switzerland to learn more about the
company and some of the key projects they are involved with.

The business offers their clients and investors a broad range of As the business thinks long-term, their focus is on sustainable,
investment solutions in the fixed income, real estate, equities and steady earnings and from today’s perspective, their real estate asset
infrastructure and multi-asset asset classes. They actively manage investment strategy remains almost unchanged with some sectoral
these assets in order to achieve sustainable and attractive returns shifts from a tactical perspective.
which form the basis for sound, reliable financial planning for Some of the company’s recent projects include The Circle, which
their customers. is co-owned with Airport Zurich who own 51 per cent of the site
Historically, the company has been active in their three core that has a total rental space of around 165,000sq m comprising office,
markets of Switzerland, France and Germany, but in the past few retail, F&B, culture & events, health & beauty, hotel & convention
years they have launched operations in the UK and Norway. and education.
“Our aim is to support our clients in achieving their long-term “We are currently co-developing the Klybeck site together with
investment objectives. We also think of the clients of our institutional two other developers and the Canton of Basel, which will be built
investors, for example pension funds, who are ultimately able to plan over the next 15 years. Upon completion, the new development will
their retirement and financial future in self-determination,” explains offer 10,000 people new homes and an estimated 6,000 jobs will be
Giorgio Engeli, Head Real Estate Portfolio Management PAM created. A new school is also planned to be located there, as well
Switzerland, Swiss Life Asset Managers. as sports facilities on a total site space of almost 800,000sq m GFA
“With our knowledge and our experience, we develop future- will be realised.”
oriented investment solutions and invest the assets of our clients They are also building two towers in Geneva near Caserne des
responsibly and risk-aware. To this end we rely on responsible, long- Vernets, an approximately 100m high residential tower with around
term investment decisions, which naturally also take sustainability 260 apartments and a commercial tower with around 25,000sq m
aspects into account.” of rental space for commercial and services usage. They develop
Engeli explains that the pandemic has been a difficult period and build dozens of new residential buildings every year throughout
of adjustment for companies across the world. Swiss Life Asset Switzerland and they are currently marketing around 1,200 new
Managers stuck fast to their long-term investment strategy and apartments with 7,200sq m of commercial space in the greater
philosophy and they were privileged to enjoy high credibility in Zurich, Ticino and French-speaking Switzerland areas.
the market. In recent years Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse has developed into one

NOVEMBER 2021 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL
Brannhof from the Lintheschergasse