Allianz and Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen are financing the purchase of the first three parts of the major "Austria Campus" project in Vienna. The purchase is structured as a forward deal. The buyer is PGIM Real Estate, alongside renowned German and Swiss institutional investors. After completion, UniCredit Bank Austria with their headquarters and the Roomz Design Hotel will be the main users of this building which already has a good pre-lease rate. The Austrian SIGNA Group, who are the sellers and successfully concluded the previous leasing deals, will handle the project through the development and construction phases. Total borrowing amounts to over €300m. The financing of Allianz was arranged by Allianz Real Estate.
"The financing of Austria Campus emphasizes the broad diversification strategy of Allianz in Europe”, said Roland Fuchs, Head of European Real Estate Finance of Allianz Real Estate. “After directly investing into the forward deal “The ICON” at the new central station of Vienna earlier this year, Allianz is financing a similar project in the Austrian capital, this time with Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen as our partner.”
"We are delighted to have realised, in close cooperation with Allianz, a customised finance deal with a loan amount of over €300m for our customer PGIM Real Estate. It was important to consider the specific criteria of the acquisition structure. This is recognition of effective and professional team performance of all the partners involved", explains Christian Schmid, Chief Representative of Helaba.
The mixed-use building ensemble at Vienna's Praterstern railway station is one of Europe's largest cohesive office developments, comprising six structures with over 200,000 m² of office space. Besides its central position and good accessibility, the business location – which is still under construction – is set apart by a modern concept, cost-efficiency and a dedicated infrastructure. Synergies are developing from the close proximity to the exhibition centre and to the campus of the Vienna University of Economic Sciences. This campus is one of the largest building construction projects to be realised in Austria and a key element of the emerging 'Nordbahnviertel', an urban development region close to the centre. Construction began in early 2015 and completion is scheduled in phases for 2018.
