1957

Zurich

United Arab Emirates

Swiss Re's staff catering started on the attic floor of the Altbau building in Zurich. Forty years down the road, there was an obvious need for new facilities. The number of guests from home and abroad who needed to be catered to had increased steadily over the years. There also needed to be more space for representative functions, such as the Annual General Meeting of shareholders.

In 1957, the Klubhaus restaurant opened on the former premises of Villa Baumann on Mythenquai, right next to Swiss Re's head office. In the opening speech, the audience was told that the goal was "to cater for our staff over lunch in a pleasant setting and healthy atmosphere, helping them to relax and refresh themselves for the second half of the working day."

Architect Hans Hofmann (1897–1957), who had been responsible for the Swiss National Exhibition in Zurich in 1939, designed the light premises with a view of the lake. The modern kitchen facilities met the latest standards. In 1961, the building received an award from the city of Zurich.

Various adjustments and extensions were added over the course of time: when the building was refurbished in 1979, the floor space was increased from 820m² to 2400m². Three separate catering zones were now available on three floors: a cafeteria replaced the former car park on the entrance level, the main floor K1 was allocated to middle management and employees, and the new floor K2 was reserved for management and guests.

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