This text is part of the special Research section
The Ivanhoé Cambridge Chair in Real Estate celebrates its quarter century. By placing its anniversary program under the theme “Thinking real estate differently”, the partnership continues to stimulate exchanges between researchers and companies in the public and private sectors, to accelerate innovation in management and investment in immovable.
“I am surprised to see how our platform idea, born 25 years ago, still corresponds so well to current needs! rejoices Andrée De Serres, holder of the Chair. This partnership between ESG UQAM and Ivanhoé Cambridge (real estate subsidiary of the Caisse de depot et placement du Québec) was a bold and innovative idea at the time. “We were just beginning to explore real estate as a science,” says Ms.me De Serres, who measures his chance to collaborate with one of the ten largest real estate investors in the world.
The mission of the Ivanhoé Cambridge Chair in Real Estate is to “bring together experts from academic and professional circles, with the aim of pooling their experience to think about real estate differently and stimulate innovation in the real estate ecosystem”, explains Andree De Serres. It sets up research projects, student internships with partners or collaborators and organizes conferences allowing cross-views on subjects relating to management and investment.
Constant challenges
“Real estate, as a field of research, must also go beyond a university science in itself. We need to apply it! » launches Mme From Serres. Researchers bring new knowledge that enables decision-makers to base their choices on scientific data and to better face major challenges.
Today, real estate must be sustainable, intelligent, rooted in its neighborhood and in harmony with its natural territory. “One of the major challenges around sustainable building is the fight against climate change. For example, we study the impacts of a large building on its neighborhood, humans, neighbors, city infrastructure and the natural territory, but also the maintenance and development of the financial value of this building,” she says. .
The smart building or smart is also an important development. “Real estate is very clearly moving towards strong digital support”, according to Mme From Serres. These innovations make it possible, for example, to measure the wear of materials or the quality of indoor air. “Managers and investors must be trained in software systems and know how to use this data in order to make the best decisions”, notes the holder of the Chair.
The strength of “U to B”
The Ivanhoé Cambridge Chair in Real Estate has also developed co-creation workshops over the past few years. “We put managers and researchers around the same table to discuss knowledge and understand the problems of decision-makers,” says Andrée De Serres.
On the themes of energy management, monitoring of sustainable project performance or even mobility, the exchanges answer very concrete questions on priorities or decision-making processes.
“These workshops make it possible to transfer new knowledge, apply it and adapt it with people who are able to do so, but also to modify their business model or their strategy”, describes Ms.me De Serres, who observes immediate results.
By building a local and international network of researchers, the Chair has also become a center of research and knowledge recognized worldwide.
Andrée De Serres describes herself with two dumbbells in her arms: one on the university side and the other on the professional side. This rapprochement between researchers and businesses in the public and private sectors — which she likes to call the U to B (University to Business) — is for it a key to economic and social development. The Chair’s anniversary program, which includes numerous publications, conferences and webinars, celebrates the progress made and continues this path.