13 giugno 2006
 
Si è tenuto il 13 giugno all'Università di Reading (UK, città non lontana da Londra) un "inspiring real estate forum" organizzato dalla Reading Real Estate Foundation insieme a Urban Land Institute e sponsorizzato da Europa Capital, società specializata in Real Estate Fund Management.
Gerald Hines e Sir Stuart Lipton, due giganti della real estate industry, hanno risposto ai questiti della Sala, composta da rappresentanti della Facoltà, studenti, alumni e RREF sponsors. Andrew Baum, della Real Estate School dell'Università, ha guidato la riunione.
«The aim of the event, as highlighted by Charles Graham, Principal of Europa Capital and RREF Director, was to build stronger relationships between the real estate industry and the University, consistent with the founding principles of the Reading Real Estate Foundation» afferma il Comunicato diffuso il 15 giugno da Europa Capital. «The focus of the event’s questions and subsequent discussion was wide ranging. The panel initially addressed the question of how much the Real Estate industry has changed over the last twenty years, discussing the importance of design and planning in shaping the environment. A key topic of debate was the role of creativity in developments and how much value can be placed on design quality. Gerald Hines underlined the importance of creativity in design in the generation of value, with Sir Stuart Lipton in agreement, but reminding the audience of the premise that "form follows function". Both guests concurred that investment in building systems was a key ingredient in attracting tenants and institutional investors».
«Questions then became a little more personal, with the guest experts being asked what their aspirations had been upon setting out in their careers» continua la Nota. « Hines, who started off in the early 1950s confessed to being concerned to succeed simply to survive in the first few years. He has now built 900 buildings across the world. The audience wanted to know which developments they were most proud of, also disappointed with, and which were the most successful in their eyes. Sir Stuart chose the Broadgate development, highlighting the importance of space creation on the working environment. Hines chose the Shell Tower and Pennzoil Place in Houston along with the ground-breaking Galleria, which confounded conventional wisdom of the time. The event closed by addressing the skills set required of those hoping to make a success of a career in Real Estate, with the conclusion that there was continuing demand for the generalist real estate education offered by Reading, but that the opportunity to combine these skills with specialist studies, particularly in the financial and planning disciplines was of ever increasing importance».
NOTA: Alcune informazioni che aiutano a meglio comprendere l'evento.
La Reading Real Estate Foundation (RREF) è una registered charity e ha come scopo il supporto finanziario alla real estate education all'Università di Reading. Its objectives are to strengthen the links between the University of Reading Business School and the Reading real estate graduates through the creation of an alumni database; to help support and develop the quality of real estate education at the University of Reading; to help maintain its position at the forefront of European real estate and to raise awareness, worldwide, of the work of the University in the real estate industry.
Europa Capital is an independent real estate fund management group operating from offices across Europe. Since 1995, Europa Capital’s principals have collectively raised 4 real estate funds and invested in 46 transactions totalling in excess of €3 billion across 12 European countries. Europa Capital is regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
Europa Capital currently operates two pan-European closed ended real estate funds, which can invest across the enlarged European Union countries, Norway and Switzerland.
Both Europa Funds benefit from Europa Capital’s network of exclusive Country Partners, who co-invest in acquisitions made by the Europa Funds in their territory. Many of the Country Partners have worked closely with the Principals of EC during the last 20 years. Further information can be found at www.europacapital.com.
Gerald D. Hines, co-owner e chief executive officer di Hines, has been widely credited with setting new industry standards for quality in real estate investment, development and management. Since founding Hines in 1957, he worked in almost every major U.S. city, then expanded the firm’s scope by moving into foreign markets, introducing new product lines and acquisition programs, and developing major new sources of equity and debt financing, including 18 institutional funds. With 2,900 employees worldwide, Hines is currently active in 68 U.S. cities and in 14 other countries including England, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, China and Russia. The firm has $12.5 billion of assets under its control, and has developed 900 projects on four continents. Gerald Hines is best known for his adherence to the highest quality standards and for his support of urban planning initiatives. His numerous awards include the J.C. Nichols Award for Visionary Urban Development presented by the Urban Land Institute. The Gerald D. Hines School of Architecture at the University of Houston is named in recognition of his contribution to the built environment.
Sir Stuart Lipton è uno dei più noti developer del Regno Unito, ed è stato fondatore e Chairman della property company Stanhope. The company has won over 60 awards for design and construction excellence and is responsible for major developments including Broadgate in the City of London. He has retired from Stanhope and is now Deputy Chairman of Chelsfield Partners LLP. He has served on important architectural bodies such as the Royal Fine Art Commission. Sir Stuart is also an art collector and was a board member of the Royal Opera House with responsibility for its development. Sir Stuart has been involved in a number of arts buildings including the Tate Modern, Glyndebourne Opera House and the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery.

Nella foto, fltr, Hines, Lipton e Baum