We were delighted to welcome our 2023–25 MSt in Real Estate cohort back to Cambridge for their third residential last month. They spent two weeks with us, receiving core course teaching on their REM5 (Real Estate Securities) and REM6 (Real Estate Development) modules, conducting site visits in Cambridge, Birmingham, and London, attending workshops and presentations delivered by guest lecturers, discussing their developing dissertation projects, and even finding time for the odd formal dinner!
The first week kicked off with a workshop on masterplanning and spatial design led by Dr Nicolas Palominos and Lorena Brambila from ERA-co, a global place consultancy, followed by sessions on development (REM6) and real estate securities (REM5) with Nick Mansley and Colin Lizieri. Next on the agenda were presentations on development in Singapore by Guy Cawthra of Lendlease and on construction costs and methods by Tom Francis at Varsity Consulting. A lecture on logistics, life sciences, and REITs by Christian Nickels-Teske of Prologis came next, then a site tour with Nickels-Teske and Emily Bliss of 1000 Discovery Drive, a £65-million multi-occupancy office and laboratory development project located on the new Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Further site visits followed, with the group travelling to London to learn about mixed-use development from Emma Cariaga of British Land at Canada Water and about the sustainable renovation of 140,000 sq ft office building Finsbury Dials, a visit organised by Greycoat's Dan Higginson. Next came a tour of Arbor, a flexible workspace development at Bankside Yards, led by Jay Squier of Native Land. The day was rounded off with drinks and discussion at River Park Tower in Nine Elms, hosted by Rhianna Jiao of R&F, an alumnus of the MSt in Real Estate programme.
The programme for the end of the first week included a talk on REITs and capital raising by Massimo Saletti of JP Morgan, a workshop on planning and environmental law by Martha Grekos of Martha Grekos Legal Consultancy, and a presentation on cities, strategic projects, and plans by ARUP's Joanna Rowelle, another alumnus of the course. Two current members of the MSt cohort shared insights into real estate development drawn from their experiences on a luxury hotel project in Budapest and NEOM's The Line.
A visit to the Grafton Centre, a Cambridge shopping centre scheduled for redevelopment into a new life sciences hub, rounded off the residential's first week. Thanks to Subjit Jassy at The Pioneer Group and John O'Shea, Grafton Centre Manager, for hosting this thought-provoking session.
The highlight of the weekend was a bike tour led by Nick Mansley, exploring local Cambridge developments and redevelopment sites including Devonshire Gardens, Accordia, Eddington, Darwin Green, Marmalade Lane, the Cambridge Science Park and Cambridge North, Cambridge Retail Park, and the Beehive Centre, finishing with a visit to Calverley's Brewery and Taproom.
The second week of the residential was as busy as the first, with REM5 and REM6 teaching delivered by Colin Lizieri, Alex Moss of Consilia Capital, and Marc Mogull of PineBridge Benson Elliot, opportunities for the cohort to share and present their dissertation proposals, and guest lectures by Matt Johnson, the Head of Development for North West Cambridge at the University of Cambridge, Richard Conroy, the CEO of housebuilder Conroy Homes, and Avanton's Omer Weinberger.
Another day of site visits and on-site presentations from those working in the real estate development and urban planning sectors, this time in Birmingham, complemented the first. The students heard from Philip Nell, Strategic Director of Place, Prosperity, and Sustainability at Birmingham City Council, on the challenges and opportunities facing the council in driving the delivery of place-based strategies, then from David Harris on the council's roll-out of a corporate landlord model. They toured Three Chamberlain Square with Rob Groves of MEPC/Federated Hermes, and learned more about the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter from Rob Valentine, Regional Director at Bruntwood. A presentation on Our Future City, a plan for Birmingham's development up to 2040 that promotes economic, social, and environmental sustainability, was delivered by Simon Delahunty-Forrest and Simon Marks of Arcadis, the design and engineering consultancy leading the project. Alex Neal and Thomas Taylor of Court Collaboration, a specialist residential developer based in Birmingham, finished off the afternoon with an overview of current projects. The cohort had a quick tour of some of the city centre at lunchtime (including the Bullring and Grand Central) and finished the day walking back past the symphony hall, library, and some of Birmingham's canalside developments.
Our thanks to everyone who contributed to making the two weeks such a rich and enjoyable experience for this cohort of MSt students. We look forward to having them back in Cambridge for their fourth residential in December!