Rhystadt and Farner Turn «Neues Klybeck Basel» into a Brand
A new neighborhood is taking shape in northern Basel, on one of the largest redevelopment sites in German-speaking Switzerland. Rhystadt is launching «Neues Klybeck» as the umbrella brand for its real estate portfolio—with Farner providing support in the form of brand strategy, a campaign, and a website.
Rhystadt is focusing on long-term brand building with «Neues Klybeck Basel»
With «Neues Klybeck,» Rhystadt is launching the marketing brand for its current and future real estate portfolio in northern Basel. The approximately 30-hectare Klybeck site —one of the largest redevelopment sites in German-speaking Switzerland, with a total area of 300,000 square meters—is set to become an open, green, and mixed-use neighborhood over the next 15 to 20 years. Plans call for housing for 8,500 people and 7,500 jobs. The ’klybeckplus’ redevelopment project is being jointly managed by the planning partners—the Canton of Basel-Stadt, Swiss Life, and Rhystadt. Within this framework, Rhystadt will develop its real estate portfolio under the name ’Neues Klybeck.«.
Farner handled strategic communications planning, brand development, and the design and implementation of the marketing website, as well as the launch campaign, with technical support provided by BlueGlass.
A trademark that builds connections
The graphic logo—a bridging «nk»—spans content, formats, and media. It is intended to bridge the contrasts that converge with the development of the site: past and present, industry and residential life, existing structures and new construction, local roots and international appeal. The visual language has been deliberately kept open—as a way for those who already live and work in Klybeck today to identify with it, as well as for future residents and business owners.
CEO Christian Mutschler explains the naming process: «For us, what is being built here is a new part of the established city. That’s why we chose a name that fits in with what’s already here.»
The brand is intended to become an integral part of the city not only in terms of its physical structure, but also socially and in terms of atmosphere. According to the press release, the launch date—three to four years before the zoning plan takes effect—was deliberately chosen so that people can get to know the area long before it is built.
Campaign Strategy and Website with Growth Potential
The campaign concept is based on a modular visual structure featuring pairs of three numbers that can be flexibly adapted to target audiences and topics. Examples of campaign messages include: «27,536 – Life sciences employees in the region,’ »1893 – the year FC Basel was founded« or »5 – minutes« walk to the Rhine.» This approach allows the communication to address investors differently than future tenants or industry experts, while remaining accessible to a broad audience.
Christian Hansen, project manager at Farner, sums up the objective: «We want to give people something concrete, not just a contrived label. If »Neues Klybeck’ eventually becomes a term that people use naturally on their own, then we’ll have achieved what we set out to do.”
The Marketing Website www.neuesklybeck.ch It continuously displays available spaces and tells the story of the neighborhood, as well as the people and businesses already active there. In the long term, it is intended to evolve from a marketing tool into a neighborhood website—as Neue Klybeck becomes a more tangible place to experience.
Flow: First Life Sciences Building in «Neues Klybeck Basel»
Work, training, production, and research are already taking place in the Rhystadt section of the site. Residential use will be permitted once the zoning plan becomes legally binding—which, as things stand today, is expected to happen by the end of 2028. Until then, the focus will be on commercial space. One concrete example is the planned Flow project: The building is expected to comprise approximately 19,000 square meters of laboratory and office space and is aimed specifically at companies in the life sciences sector. It is expected to be ready for occupancy by the end of 2029.
The launch campaign will initially be rolled out digitally and is designed to kick off an ongoing brand-building effort that will grow alongside the project over the coming years.
For more information and current property listings: www.neuesklybeck.ch
Contact person at Rhystadt: Silvana Dardikmann (Head of Corporate Development and Portfolio Management, Rhystadt), Bruno Schuler (Director of Asset Management and Real Estate Marketing, UBS Asset Management), Andreas Jordi (Senior Vice President of Landlord Representation, Jones Lang LaSalle). Responsible at Farner: Christian Hansen (Senior Consultant), Adrian Kohler (Senior Consultant), Fabian Bertschinger (Creative Director), Martin Fawer (Consulting Director, Branding), Manuel Griestock (Art Director), Julian Stäuble (Consultant), Sandra Pfeiffer (Associate Consultant), Brendan Bühler (Executive Consultant), Gian Ganter (Apprentice). Responsible at BlueGlass: Manuela Carl (Senior Digital Consultant), Wanda Honegger (Lead UX & Design), Tess Björling Hall (Screen & Graphic Designer), Igor Stampfler (Senior Digital Marketing Specialist), Merlin Rooma (Lead Digital Analytics).
