Real Estate Sustainability:

11.946

Course Description

last revised Jan 28, 2008

Objective

The objective of this class is to equip students to be effective contributors to sustainable real estate development, re-development, and management.    The core pedagogical objective is to share knowledge, to provide a "toolkit" for action, and to understand issues and opportunities in getting things done in a real world multi party environment.

Technology and Design.  The first module presents best practices thinking from several aspects of technology and design, including building materials, urban planning, and energy / transportation.

Economics.  The second module includes practicing and exploring analytical tools including life cycle cost analysis,  "triple bottom line" concepts, non-economic measures such as carbon footprint or productivity, and various concepts of what "sustainable" might mean.

Decision Making.  The final module explores the motivations, incentives, economics, and communication issues in accomplishing goals in the political, social, budgetary, and human context in which most real impact is achieved.   

This course is NOT about policy, climate change, or deep engineering calculus.

Audience

This class is intended for students from many disciplines.   Useful backgrounds include real estate, architecture, finance, strategy, construction, mechanical engineering, policy, planning, and others.

Format

This is a highly interactive class.   Discussions, exercises, and problem sets all are designed to foster familiarity with new technologies, analytical methods, points of view, and approaches to problem solving.

Instructor

John D. Macomber is CEO of BuildingVision, Inc., a consulting and investing firm focusing on the future of the real estate and construction industry.  He has been a construction company CEO, a real estate developer, an Internet CEO, and a teacher at MIT for almost two decades.  He is also a member of the Real Estate faculty at Harvard Business School.