Master in Design Studies (MDesS)
Real Estate
Area coordinator: Richard B. Peiser, Michael D. Spear Professor of Real Estate Development
Acting area coordinator (spring semester): Bing Wang, Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design
Understanding how to implement the built environment is a central aspect of design education. The Real Estate area at the GSD addresses professionals who want to pursue further studies on real estate development and investment realms related to the building industry and the built environment, starting from conceiving the communities and buildings, to the planning and managing of entitlements, design, finance, construction, marketing and operating the buildings. Most courses address both US and international projects and are based on case studies, emphasizing a hands-on experience in real world situations requiring judgment and the making of responsible decisions under many different conditions. The program is geared to students from professional real estate, construction and other diverse backgrounds as well as designers who want to enhance or change their careers and search for alternative practice models. The immersion of the program in a design school allows the students to complement their course of study with subjects from other areas toward a broader education. The course of study in this area is significantly enhanced by access to the Real Estate Academic Initiative www.reai.harvard.edu at Harvard University, the RMJM program on Integrated Design, the Zofnass program on Infrastructure and Large Scale Sustainability and to the industry liaisons of the faculty, through which students convene in workshops, forums and symposia with the world’s leading real estate investors, fund managers, developers, project managers and contractors.
Within the Real Estate Area there are four sub-areas of concentration:
Real Estate Development
This sub-concentration prepares graduates for careers in real estate and urban development, both private and public sector. It emphasizes analytical skills, decision-making, development processes, political, environmental, legal, and general urban context knowledge. Graduates pursue careers in development of all product types: land, housing, office, retail, industrial, hotel, and mixed-use.Real Estate Investment
This sub-concentration prepares graduates for careers in real estate investment and finance. It combines analytical skills in investment and finance with decision-making about development, political, legal, and urban context knowledge. Graduates enter careers in fund management, mortgage finance, investment banking, REITs, hedge funds, and private equity.Management and Leadership
This area prepares graduates for leadership positions in the building and infrastructure industries, within design, development, construction - project management, and consulting enterprises. Business issues related to integrating and managing the design & innovation process with project and product delivery are combined with strategic, operational, and financial skill-building. Prof. Spiro Pollalis serves as advisor for this area.Sustainable Real Estate
This sub-concentration addresses the needs and challenges faced increasingly by real estate and design professionals in responding to environmentally sensitive, "green," and sustainable development practices. It focuses on concepts and applications of technologies of sustainability at various scales ranging from urban communities, landscape design, to individual buildings. The curriculum is enriched with courses offered by faculty members who specialize in development, sustainable design, and building technology.
Harvard RED (Real Estate & Development Club)
www.reai.harvard.edu
Required Courses*
5203 Markets and Market Failures
5204 Real Estate Development and Finance
7411 Design and Development from Concept to Implementation
7440: Leading the Design Firm
5103 Public and Private Development
5201 Urban Politics and Land Use
5403 M3 Building Design and Planning Typographies
5404 M4 Public Approvals for Private Development Projects
6212 Sustainability for Planning and Design
* Not all courses many be required for all sub-areas.
Typical Electives
3302 Designing the American City: Civic Aspirations and Urban
Form
5101 Histories and Theories of Urban Planning
5206 Planning and Environmental Law
5212 Field Studies in Real Estate, Planning, and Urban Design
5213 Policy-making in Urban Settings
5303 Advanced Real Estate Development
5311 Design, Law, Policy
5473 Housing Policy in the United States
5475 The Design of Housing in the United States
7307 Strategy and Sustainability
Classes of interest outside the GSD:
MIT
11.340J Legal Issues in Development Processes
11.432 Real Estate Capital Markets
11.433J Real Estate Economics
Kennedy School of Government
API-141 Finance
HUT-266 Affordable Housing Development, Finance and Management
STM-410 State and Local Public Finance
STM-502 Managing People: Self, Relationships and Teams
Harvard Business School
1620 Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector
2240 Negotiating Complex Deals and Disputes
Related Faculty
Richard B. Peiser, Michael D. Spear Professor of Real Estate Development
Spiro Pollalis, Professor of Design Technology and Management
Susan Fainstein, Professor of Urban Planning
Alex Krieger, Professor in Practice of Urban Design
Jerold Kayden, Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design
John Macomber, Lecturer in Architecture
Nicolas Retsinas, Lecturer in Housing Studies
Carl Sapers, Adjunct Professor of Studies in Professional Practice in
Architecture
Bing Wang, Lecturer
Jay Wickersham, Lecturer in Urban Planning
Eric Belsky, Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design
Richard Jennings, Lecturer in Architecture
Brian Kenet, Lecturer in Landscape Architecture
Wooyoung Kimm, Lecturer in Architecture
Andreas Georgoulias, Lecturer in Architecture
Student Profiles
Alumnus: Andrew Horton