The world's highest skyscraper, Taipei 101, yesterday welcomed the Bayer Group as its first tenant and is preparing for its second tenant, Swiss insurer Winter Life, to move in later this month.
Bayer, which is Germany's second-largest chemical and drug maker, will locate its Taiwan headquarters on the tower building's 53rd and 54th floors. The new office space accommodates about 230 of Bayer Taiwan's employees.
"We like this building very much, and believe it is the safest place to work, with the high-tech infrastructure and design," said Elmar Stachels, chief executive officer of Bayer's Greater China region, during the moving-in ceremony yesterday.
With a five-year lease, Bayer believes the move will help it attract domestic and international businesses, as well as bolster its business in Taiwan, Stachels said.
Future tenants
Winter Life will relocate its Taiwan branch to Taipei 101 next Monday, said Harace Lin (
Other future tenants include Peoples' King International Co, D.B. Zwirn Advisors Taiwan and the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp (TSE). The TSE is currently the largest tenant, holding the 9th to the 12th floors. It will move in by year's end.
Now that the first tenant has commenced operations in the building, more potential customers waiting on the sidelines will be more interested in exploring leasing options, said Calvin Wang (王治平), managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle International Property Consultants, the leading leasing agent for the skyscraper.
Currently, the occupancy rate at Taipei 101 is still about 35 percent for the 58,000-ping office space, but Wang is confident that the building will be 60 percent to 70 percent full by the end of the year, and next to full by the end of next year.
"Many companies have shown strong interest in making Taipei 101 their address these days, [giving it] prestige like the Empire State Building in New York City," Wang said.
As for the safety concerns of some prospective tenants following several accidents during the tower's construction, Wang said doubts had been dissolved now that the building had withstood several major earthquakes. As a result, current tenants were more interested in renting higher levels of the building.
Strict controls on access would also give confidence to customers, Wang said.
Floor pass
Taipei 101 utilizes the Visitor Access Kiosk System developed by Siemens AG, which enables visitors to key in the floor or company they want to visit.
With confirmation by the tenant, the visitor receives a pass allowing entry through a security door.
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