Day 3 --- 6/25/10

Another interactive class has already started... but I'm improving on my arrival.

Major topics of discussion for the day:

- Retail markets
- Technology
- WWW
- Social networking
- Software trends and issues

We discussed the articles we all contributed for the class. I contributed the first two articles for discussion.

The first article was about Internet marketing trends. I briefly mentioned the reason why I chose the article for discussion. I felt this article was reflective of how important Internet marketing has become in real estate. The article explains how important managing the digital footprint of businesses. Effective Internet marketing requires proper management of the online digital presence.

The ever expanding use of social media and mobile marketing is also another indicator of how internet marketing is evolving. Geomarketing (targeting marketing efforts to local searches) and video blogging (Vlogs) are also shaping the trend of internet marketing.

The second article was about network security issues and trends in network threats. Having seen how important online presence is in the real estate business and taking in to consideration that fact that web based applications are gaining traction in replacing individual computer applications, it is equally important to focus on the emerging network related threats.

New threats are increasingly targeting networks mainly through Non-vulnerability Based Attacks (NBA... silly me...I thought NBA meant nothing without Kobe somehow in the mix...). The article discusses Web Application Firewall (WAF) that compliments the traditional individual computer protection tools to deal with NBA ad other emerging threats.

The other articles dealt with topics including the mall vs lifestyle center issues...

Day 2 --- 6/17/10

Once again the road got the best of me...perhaps it's train time...

I joined the class in the middle of a discussion about building design concepts. Per the whole building design concept, proper design can:
- improve productivity - difference in open vs closed working areas, ease of access to natural light etc...
- improve health;
- promote greater flexibility of use - thus reducing impact of tenant improvement costs upon tenant replacement, and
- save costs.

* Regional malls vs the return of urban spread retail structures, lifestyle centers and community town centers.

Regional malls are increasingly giving way for smaller community town centers, lifestyle centers and small urban retail structures. The current market condition, the growing challenges of finding and/or retaining anchors as well as in-line retailers in regional malls potentially indicates the heydays of the 'big boxes' may be over.

I think regional malls are still major players mainly because youngsters prefer them. The future for such structures may not be as appealing as the past but the current demographic 'fans' trendy nature of consumers

*LEED Certification:
Typical reasons for large businesses green initiatives:
- marketing tool; and
- potential for cost savings.

* Growth in production of green products - like solar panel productions in China.

- The growth, particularly in china, is linked to the growing environmental problems in China such as smog, pollution, contamination and increasing frequency of adverse weather conditions.

* Role of government in guiding the behavioral change required for the success of green initiatives:
- potential impact of mandatory requirements for green initiatives, especially those with lesser cost impact and objectively verifiable benefits e.g low-e glasses:

Day 1 --- 6/10/10

Class started! I arrived a bit late...as usual traffic was brutal.

Major topics discussed include:
- Sustainability (underground warehouse facility - Subtropolis - and LEED platinum Bldg - BOA Tower in NY)
- Adaptive reuse of old structures and unused office space
- Educational trends - the growth and impact of online learning,
- Employment trends - the points of sale to employers... what do employers seek???

We kicked off the class with a video about an underground warehouse facility called Subtropolis. This structure is about 800k s.f of underground warehouse structure converted from an old mining facility. This facility incorporates low lease rates without compromising on low energy costs and constant air and humidity levels.

Some of the benefits of Subtropolis mentioned include:

-Low lease rates — 30-50% less than above ground facilities
-Low utility costs — 50-70% savings in total energy costs
-Constant temperature and humidity levels — protect your products and make your employees more productive
-Maximum flexibility — for expansion and seasonal surges
-On-site services — management, maintenance and 24/7 security so you can run your business, not your building
-Sustainability — you're more sustainable without the upfront costs

We also discussed the trends in adaptive reuse of existing structures. We mainly focused on:
- the market rationale for adaptive reuse,
- social impact of such approach to revitalizing particularly abandoned structures - especially impact on local governments

The next topic of discusssion was educational trends. We mainly discussed:

- online learning and its growth as an alternative to traditional educational methods;
- potential adaptive reuse concerns for existing physical facilities especially in higher learning centers.