It’s been an amazing start to the trip in the impressively put together city of Bogota… incredibly high quality construction, especially brick residential projects, lush green avenues that we all experienced on the Sunday ride called the ciclovia, and attention to details everywhere in the public realm from stormwater to public toilets to public parks recreated out of former exclusive polo fields!
Incredible energy down in the city of Citizen Culture… our 2014 Runstad Affiliate Fellows leave tomorrow for Bogotá, awaiting thunderstorms and protests. Stay tuned for their updates from the road. Buen viaje, amigos!
Congratulations to our Real Estate Development Studio students for winning the Eleventh Annual NAIOP Real Estate Challenge! This unique competition features teams from the University of Washington, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Alberta; each vying for bragging rights and the prestige associated with the mastery of the event. Students from each university’s real estate program compete from January through late March to create and present a development proposal for a multi-faceted and challenging real-world project.
The Runstad Center’s team of graduate students studied various development scenarios for the Mariners Square site in the South Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. Their proposal, “Gas Works Flats,” represents an opportunity to build on what’s existing to transform a key site and create enduring value without a large footprint. For those who couldn’t attend today’s NAIOP breakfast, the team’s full report and full presentation are available online.
Big thanks and a thunderous round of applause to our hardworking students and their talented, devoted instructors, Chris Bitter and Al Levine!
Here are some images from our exciting morning:
Yesterday in Olympia, Glenn Crellin received formal recognition for 20+ years of service to the real estate industry and the people of Washington today. The resolution was sponsored by Representative Susan Fagan of Pullman, WA – Glenn’s former home where he helmed the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at WSU, before relocating to Seattle and the Runstad Center at the University of Washington. We are grateful to Glenn for all he has done to advance the Center’s mission, and make us the go-to source for research and education services to the real estate industry in Washington state.
MSRE 2013 alumna Ji Shon returned to Gould Hall yesterday along with her colleague Chad Dale, partner in Evolution Projects, for a brown bag lunch session with our students. Ji completed a dual MSRE/M.Arch degree last year and is now doing both design and development work for Evolution. Chad is a partner is the famed Seattle restaurant The Walrus and the Carpenter, and has developed a great deal of expertise on the real estate aspects of restaurant development, adaptive reuse, and a host of other topics. Evolution Projects is the development arm of the Fremont based outdoor retailer “evo” (evolution Innovations), which strives to bring values around “commerce, cause, culture and community” to all of their development projects. This was a wonderful opportunity to hear about cutting edge work being done by a small, innovative development team – just the kind of work so many of us would like to be associated with and live down the street from. Our thanks to Ji and Chad for answering our students’ questions and joining us for an engaging discussion!
Christopher Leinberger presented a fascinating picture of the Walkable Urban Future of Metro Seattle at the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture on February 12. If you couldn’t be there in person, you can enjoy the lecture right here, right now! Our thanks to the UW College of Built Environments staff for recording it and making it available to all.
The Runstad Center is pleased to announce a new Spring 2014 course offering:
RE 598: Green Building Law & Risk Mitigation
Tuesdays/Thursdays, 7 – 8:20 pm (3 credits)
Gould 440
Instructor: Nicole DeNamur, JD & LEED Green Associate
This multidisciplinary course will focus on the intersection of green, high performing buildings and the law. Topics will include:
Students will learn to identify and understand the risks and challenges presented by high-performing buildings, and analyze frameworks and strategies to manage and overcome these challenges. This course is designed to prepare future sustainability leaders for the issues they will encounter as this area continues to evolve and become increasingly regulated.
Questions about enrollment? Email msre@uw.edu.
The Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies & Commercial Real Estate Women present: UCREW!
Tuesday, March 4, 5-7pm
Gould Court
Are you interested in the real estate industry? If yes, this event is for you. If not, this event is also for you. Because whether you’re in planning, finance, construction management, design, HR, engineering, philosophy or… any discipline, the industry has something for you. How about customer service, project management, research, green building and sustainability… there are endless possibilities for you to explore and apply your interests in real estate.
CREW Seattle & Sound has partnered up with The Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies to host a fantastic event, UCREW, to be held on Tuesday, March 4, from 5 – 7pm in Gould Hall. This event features an interactive panel session with high-profile speakers representing a wide range of fields, along with professional networking as well as opportunities for job shadowing and mentoring. RSVP now!
While CREW seeks to promote the advancement of women in the industry, this event is by no means only for ladies. Anyone who is a supporter of the mission is welcomed!
Washington state’s housing market softened in the fourth quarter of 2013 compared to the quarter before, but remained stronger than a year ago, according to the Washington Center for Real Estate Research here at the Runstad Center.
Read what Glenn Crellin had to say when he talked with UW News here, or take a look at the Q4 Snapshot.
Last week in Tacoma, Runstad Center director Steve O’Connor joined industry experts, housing analysts and advocates for Congressman Denny Heck’s Housing Forum: The Future of Housing After the Crisis. Steve provided a housing policy update as part of an overview of housing market and development, and was followed by a panel discussion on housing development in a post-recession world. Panelists included The keynote speech was delivered by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan. Our thanks to Congressman Heck for including the Runstad Center in this important conversation!
