Bank Austria to invest EUR 500 million in its new headquarters at the Austria Campus in the area of Vienna’s former Northern Railway Station

• Groundbreaking ceremony attended by Michael Häupl, Mayor of Vienna, Karlheinz Hora, Head of Leopoldstadt District Authority, René Benko, founder of SIGNA, and Willibald Cernko, Chief Executive Officer of Bank Austria
• Construction work commencing early in 2015 and scheduled for completion by the middle of 2018
• Investment volume for the Austria Campus totalling about EUR 500 million

VIENNA, 15-12-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Bank Austria’s headquarters at the Austria Campus will be built in the area of Vienna’s former Northern Railway Station, with construction work scheduled to start at the beginning of 2015 and to be completed by the middle of 2018. The investment volume for the entire Austria Campus totals about EUR 500 million. Construction will be based on the plans of the winning projects of the urban development competition (architect Boris Podrecca) and of the competition for the realisation of the Austria Campus gateway building (Soyka / Silber / Soyka Architekten).

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Bank Austria headquarters at the Austria Campus has taken place today in the presence of Michael Häupl, Mayor of Vienna, Karlheinz Hora, Head of the Leopoldstadt District Authority, René Benko, founder of SIGNA, and Willibald Cernko, Chief Executive Officer of Bank Austria.

Vienna’s Mayor Michael Häupl: “I am pleased that the Austria Campus is being realised. The new city quarter with 10,000 apartments and 20,000 workplaces to be built close to the Northern Railway Station will cover an area of 85 hectares and is scheduled for completion by 2025. The Austria Campus, comprising 9,000 workplaces, is a key component of the entire project, and the related investment provides strong impetus to business activity in Vienna.”

Upon completion of the bank’s new headquarters at the Austria Campus, Bank Austria will concentrate all employees from central Vienna-based departments and the entire Management Board in the new location. Willibald Cernko, CEO of Bank Austria: “Today’s groundbreaking ceremony marks a further step in the implementation of the project together with SIGNA, with a view to completing our new headquarters by the middle of 2018. The entire Austria Campus will provide strong impetus to the development of a whole city quarter. We are actually breaking new ground with our new corporate headquarters, creating a highly advanced office landscape embedded in a recreational area and social meeting place. This future-oriented investment also shows very clearly that our company is aware of, and appreciates, the advantages offered by Vienna as a business location.”

Bank Austria will rent the buildings constructed for the bank at the Austria Campus and will design the interior of the buildings itself. The building plots, together with the overall project, were sold to SIGNA, the company which is responsible for building the entire Austria Campus. René Benko, founder of SIGNA: “With the Austria Campus at Vienna’s Northern Railway Station we will establish a landmark with a presence radiating beyond the boundaries of this city and the region. This large building project in Austria’s capital underlines the significance of Vienna as a business location and will provide up to 5,000 jobs.”

The project is also very important for Leopoldstadt, Vienna’s second district. Karlheinz Hora, Head of the District Authority: “The Austria Campus and the construction of Bank Austria’s headquarters will significantly enhance the centre of Leopoldstadt, with the Praterstern traffic junction and the new city quarter close to the Northern Railway Station. Generous green areas and the facilities planned as part of the project with high-quality workplaces will prove to be a convincing solution. This project is a milestone for the second district of Vienna, and it is also a milestone for urban development as a whole.”

Enquiries: Bank Austria Media Relations Austria
Matthias Raftl, tel.: +43 (0) 5 05 05 52809;
e-mail: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at

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