La Tour invests CHF 750 million in a health campus in Meyrin

Hôpital de La Tour in Geneva sells its premises to finance an ambitious innovation-oriented health campus

The owners of the Hôpital de La Tour in Meyrin are pleased to announce that they have entered into a sale and leaseback agreement with a consortium of investors, advised by the bank Union Bancaire Privée – UBP SA and RMG – The Risk Management Group SA. Hôpital de La Tour becomes a long-term tenant of the two buildings it currently uses; The hospital’s operating company remains in the hands of the current owners.

This CHF 750 million agreement will make it possible to finance a major health campus project. This future multi-stakeholder site, housing a range of activities from education to medical technology, will aim to create synergies between the worlds of health care and technology, making it a true innovation hub. The campus will eventually represent a real estate development in the hospital sector of approximately 150,000 m2.

“We want to use the hospital as the hub of a larger and more ambitious “health campus” bringing together players in the medical, research, medical technology and training fields,” says Jenny Paizi in la Tribune de Genève. The chairwoman of the board of directors spoke on behalf of the owners: “This group of private investors led by the Latsis family has strong ties to Geneva. Since they bought the hospital ten years ago, they have not stopped investing in health and innovation. This project reflects their willingness to commit themselves over several generations.

“The aim is to better support the patient in his or her healthcare journey. In an ageing society, the idea is to develop personalised medicine by focusing on innovation. This involves prevention, nutrition, diagnosis, care, training, research and development.”

First building in 2027

The investors plan to build a dozen buildings on a surface area of 180,000 m² – including the existing 30,000 m² occupied by the hospital. The first building could be put into service in 2027, according to Pierre Guth, director of Ergon, the real estate company created by the investors to develop this project.

An architectural competition has been launched, and the winner will be chosen in early April. Parallel to the existing buildings B1 and B2, the building already named B3 should make it possible to expand the hospital’s technical facilities (operating theatres, catheterisation rooms, radiology, etc.) and to house medical services that are currently cramped.

Designed on thirteen levels (eight floors, two ground floors and three basements), the B3 could also accommodate complementary activities such as “a hotel for families, a rehabilitation clinic for patients in convalescence, pharmacies, dentists and other paramedical services”, imagines Jenny Paizi.

Start-up and training

The project is not just about developing the care itself. The campus aims to attract start-ups active in medical technology, research and development. Synergies with CERN are also being discussed. “These worlds know each other well but rarely have the opportunity to be brought together in the same space. These prospects are very stimulating for all the players in the health sector,” says Pierre Guth.

A campus means training. “La Tour already has accreditation in ten medical specialities,” emphasises Rodolphe Eurin, citing internal medicine, emergency, orthopaedics and cardiology in particular. It would also be a matter of training nurses, of which Geneva is chronically short. “We are in discussion with the state to create a school of health, like the one in Valais, on a different model from the HES.