2015

DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTIONNewsletter

Contents ■ Construction student scoops

prize at Undergraduate of the Year Awards

■ RICS welcomes its newest members in Vietnam

■ Marie Curie Fellowship grant ■ Reducing the environmental

impact of buildings

2 Real Estate and Construction

CONTENTS

Student Profile Zuhir Khan BSc Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management

Head of Department’s Welcome

Student Profile Jessica Dowdy BSc Construction Project Management

Construction student scoops top prize at Undergraduate of the Year Awards

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) welcomes its newest members in Vietnam

Brookes wins Marie Curie Fellowship grant for Compact Neighbourhood and Social Sustainability Research

Reducing the environmental impact of buildings

Oxford Brookes contribution to Guangzhou Awards for Urban Innovation

Graduate Profile Niall Sloane BSc Real Estate Management

STUDENT PROFILE

Zuhir KhanBSc Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management

Before you came to Brookes what did you study and where?A-level Physics, Chemistry and IT at Cornwallis Academy, Kent.

What made you choose Brookes as a place to study?At interview stage Brookes stood out for me, the likes of Loughborough and Reading have a set up that reflect an interview similar to The Apprentice or Dragons Den. Brookes were more interested in me, as individual rather than a my stats and figures. Coupled with the ties that Brookes has with the industry and the compulsory sandwich year it started to stick out ahead of the big boys (Loughborough and Reading).

What do/did you think of the course while studying here?From my 1st and 2nd year experience the course requires you make your own efforts outside of the classroom, due to contact hours far less than at school. Outside of the time in lectures and seminars the lecturers are more than accommodating. Even outside the contact hours, knock on the door on one of the faculty offices and someone will help you with your enquiries and coursework difficulties. The course forces

you to be proactive and independent, which is a good lesson to be learnt; in the real world you are not spoon fed by anyone.

What are the best bits of studying at Brookes?The learning facilities, the diversity of people, the sport facilities, Brookes Snow, Oxford town centre is unlike any other city.

What advice do you have for others?Understand the work/play balance.

What are your plans for when you’ve completed your course, for work or further study?To go back to Quinn London who employed me for my sandwich year, with the view to be a RICS Chartered QS one year after graduation.

What do you think of the industrial placement aspect of your course?The value of the industrial placement is far greater that you realise, the year’s experience you have upon graduation gives you an insight into the industry that you are going into and also gives you a head start on most of the competition out there.

Newsletter 3

WELCOME

Welcome to our annual newsletter. We want to reach out to our alumni and friends and to keep them connected to the department with updates on recent developments, news and activities.

The department continues to grow from strength to strength in the

quality of our teaching and research. We continuously review, re-shape, and refresh our programmes to reflect emerging knowledge at the cutting-edge of the profession and contemporary best practice. We continue to attract high calibre individuals, recruit very strongly and our graduates continue to be amongst the most sought after in the labour market in the UK and internationally.

We continue to expand our postgraduate programme portfolio with the development of a new MSc in Construction Project Management and Building Information Modelling (BIM), starting in September 2015. The UK government has mandated the use of BIM on all publically funded construction projects from 2016, meaning that construction companies that do not demonstrate BIM capability will not be allowed to tender for these projects. The new programme responds to the need for skills and capacity building in BIM and has been developed in collaboration with leading industry proponents on BIM. It fully embraces the UK government BIM Task Group BIM Learning Outcomes Framework.

Internationally, we continue to forge new collaborative relationships with organisations and institutions in China and South East Asia. Our adaptation programme in China, which provides training for experienced managers and enables them to sit the APC and obtain Chartered membership of the RICS has become a successful introduction to the rapidly growing real estate market in Asia. The course has expanded and is now in its second term of delivery in Vietnam. Congratulations to our newest members of the RICS in the ASEAN area. We have also launched a new MSc/PG Dip/Certificate in Real Estate Investment Finance, developed in partnership with the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association (APREA) and

accredited by the RICS. This is an open-learning programme which is delivered online, offering students a flexible and innovative way to study. It also provides a series of networking seminars which offer students face-to-face contact and support from leading real estate professionals.

On the research front, the publication of the REF 2014 results last year confirms that the quality of our research has improved significantly since the 2008 RAE exercise. The results show that 97% of our research is internationally recognised with 23% judged to be 4* (world leading) and 46% judged to be 3* (internationally excellent). Additionally, 40% and 60% of our impact submissions were rated at 4* and 3* levels respectively. It is also important to announce that from 1 September

2015 the Department of Real Estate and Construction and the Department of Planning was integrated into the new School of the Built Environment. We see this as an exciting opportunity to exploit synergies in developing new initiatives by building on our existing academic and research portfolios.

Thank you for your commitment towards the development of the department. We continue to make progress thanks to the dedication of students and staff, and the continued support of our alumni and friends. I hope you enjoy finding out what we are up to in this newsletter.

Professor Joe TahBSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, FRICS, MCIOB, ACMHead of Department

4 Real Estate and Construction

Construction student scoops top prize at Undergraduate of the Year Awards

STUDENT PROFILEJessica DowdyBSc Construction Project Management

What made you choose Brookes as a place to study?Whilst I enjoy studying, I’ve always found experience is incredibly important, particularly in the construction industry. Therefore, when deciding on which university to put first on my university application, it was the industrial placement element that put this course ahead of the rest. Other factors included the good reviews I had read, league table ranking, campus facilities and living in the city of Oxford.

What do/did you think of the course while studying here?It was clear from the offset how passionate and engaging the lecturers were, which made the whole learning process a lot more enjoyable. There is a great depth of knowledge within the Brookes teaching staff and the experience they share with you the students is invaluable.

What advice do you have for others?My advice would be to really enjoy your time and make the most of the opportunities along the way. Most importantly, I would advise a good balance between social activities and working – it’s easy to get caught up in university life, but be sure to invest most of your time into your studies.

What are your plans for when you’ve completed your course, for work or further study?For the next year I will be focusing wholly on completing my degree, achieving the best grade I can. Following on from that, I will be looking to establish myself as a Project Manager whilst completing my APC. I know the next few years will involve a lot of hard work, commitment and dedication in my pursuit towards a successful career within the industry.

What do you think of the industrial placement aspect of your course?I think it is great. It is one of the main reasons I chose this course, as I am a strong believer that there is nothing more valuable in this industry than hands-on experience. It complements classroom learning by allowing you to utilise what you have been taught and fully grasp the concepts discussed. The construction industry is such a practical industry, so it is important that you are able to experience the environment for yourself. Not only to learn about methods of construction, but to fully understand and prepare yourself for the industry you need to interact with the client, design team, managers, supervisors and men on site. I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year, which allowed me to enhance my knowledge and improve my skillset which has put me in a far better position to complete my final year and begin work as a graduate.

Oxford Brookes student, Jessica Dowdy, scooped the prize for Construction Engineering and Design Undergraduate at the national TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards which were held in Canary Wharf on Friday 24 April.

Jessica, who is studying Construction Project Management, went through a series of online tests,

application forms, interviews and assessment exercises to eventually emerge as the winner in a strong category of students from other excellent universities.

Upon winning the award, the third year student said: “I am thrilled to be chosen as the winner of the Construction, Engineering and Design Undergraduate of the Year Award 2015. The interview and assessment stages were tough but allowed me to gain an insight into the graduate recruitment process whilst meeting some great young professionals along the way.

This profile was updated in December 2015. Please note that an earlier version of this profile appeared in print in November 2015.

Newsletter 5

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) welcomes its newest members in Vietnam

In September 2014, students on the Qualifying Certificate in Advanced Valuation Training Programme successfully passed the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).

On 5 October 2014 the newest members were presented with their certificates by RICS President Louise Brooke-Smith and

welcomed as the newest members of the RICS in the ASEAN area. Louise is the first female to hold the position of RICS President and is Managing Director of Brooke Smith Planning, a planning and development consultancy based in Birmingham, UK.

The course, which is delivered by Oxford Brookes University’s Department of Real Estate and Construction, was initially created specifically for mid to senior professionals working in the property industry in China. The course has lately expanded to other countries in the region such as Vietnam. Successful completion of the programme gives direct entry to the final interview for membership of the RICS. Teaching is a combination of online delivery and face-to-face weekend sessions with the teaching team from the Department of Real Estate and Construction. Oxford Brookes has successfully trained approximately 100 property professionals to become RICS members in the region, which reflects a relatively high success rate of 95%.

Speaking about the event Ye Xu, Senior Lecturer in Real Estate at Oxford Brookes said: “It is great to see our students receiving their nominations. It is expected that the success of this event will lead to further training and education programmes in the country being delivered by Oxford Brookes.” The event was held at the Intercontinental Asiana Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City, and featured a special guest attendance by the Lord Mayor. Subsequently to the event, two further cohorts were recruited and completed their studies, and another one has started recruiting.

“To have the opportunity to complete an international internship with a successful, innovative company such as Laing O’Rourke is incredibly exciting and I cannot wait to get out there and experience the construction industry on the other side of the world. I can’t thank TARGETjobs and Laing O’Rourke enough for this opportunity and I would like to congratulate all the other finalists and wish them every success in their careers.”

This award was one of 12 presented during the finals and each award was sponsored by a top graduate recruiter. International engineering enterprise Laing O’Rourke, which has created some of the most iconic constructions and buildings in the world, chose Jessica as the winner of their category and awarded her an international internship with the firm.

The TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year is an annual awards competition which aims to find the best undergraduates in the UK. This year the award categories included Future CFO, Engineering, Computer Science, Languages and Law among others. Thousands of students from universities across the country enter the competition each year to compete to win highly sought after work placements, internships and exclusive overseas trips.

‘The interview and assessment stages were tough but allowed me to gain an insight into the graduate recruitment process whilst meeting some great young professionals along the way.’Jessica Dowdy

6 Real Estate and Construction

Dr Reza Shirazi is the main researcher. He has joined Oxford Brookes

University from TU Berlin. He is an architect and urban planner with more than 13 years’ experience in teaching and interdisciplinary research in neighbourhood development, citizen participation, phenomenology of the built environment, socio-cultural sustainability, and architectural and urban transformation in the MENA cities.

The work will be supervised by Professor Ramin Keivani, the Scientist in Charge of the project, in collaboration with Professor Georgia Butina Watson and Dr Sue Brownill. Professor Ramin Keivani is Director of the Real Estate and Land Policy Group within the Department of

Real Estate and Construction at Oxford Brookes University. Professor Georgia Butina Watson is the Director of the Urban Design Group and Dr Sue Brownill is a member of the Spatial Planning Group within the Department of Planning. These research groups also form part of the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD), which is one of the UK’s largest research institutes dedicated to sustainable development research in built and natural environments.

The research project, entitled ‘Contribution of Compact Neighbourhoods to the Social Sustainability’, will investigate how compact urban form can promote the social sustainability of intermediate neighbourhood areas. It will focus on

the major European cities which face socio-cultural challenges, such as social segregation and cultural disintegration, and in this case the project will be studying London and Berlin. Researchers will study three key concepts throughout the duration of the project: neighbourhood development, compact urban form, and social sustainability – aiming to shed light on their interconnectivity.

The project will enable researchers to provide the studied neighbourhoods with an Urban Form Enhancement Index. This will include recommendations and modifications which will further the capacity of the given neighbourhood to serve as an effective structural unit and socially sustainable community.

BROOKES WINS MARIE CURIE FELLOWSHIP GRANT FOR COMPACT NEIGHBOURHOOD AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH

Oxford Brookes University has been awarded a European Union Framework 7 Marie Curie Fellowship (worth £238k), to host Dr M Reza Shirazi to undertake a project researching the contribution of compact neighbourhoods to social sustainability in London and Berlin.

Reducing the environmental impact of buildingsThe Green Guide to Specification is an environmental profiling system that enables designers and constructors to select building materials and components which have the lowest environmental impact.

Designed and developed by David Shiers, Reader in Sustainable Property at Oxford Brookes, the Green Guide methodology provides the construction industry with

reliable environmental evaluations based on quantitative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data. Now in its 4th edition and part of the BREEAM and Code for Sustainable Homes programmes, Green Guide has been used to reduce environmental impacts for over 230,000 recorded construction projects, with a further 1.07 million projects registered awaiting certification worldwide. In 2009, the Green Guide was adopted as the official design standard for all construction materials used in the London 2012 Olympics.

Newsletter 7

Oxford Brookes contribution to Guangzhou Awards for Urban Innovation

Graduate Profile

Niall Sloane BSc Real Estate Management

Before you came to Brookes what did you study and where?A Y Jackson Secondary School. Followed by the University of British Columbia (UBC) majoring in Sociology. I dropped out however and came to the UK to study REM at Brookes.

What made you choose Brookes as a place to study?I knew that Brookes would offer me the opportunity that I was looking for to accelerate my future in the property industry.

What did you think of the course while studying here?I felt as though the course gave great insight to what we would be doing when we entered the property industry on our internships and graduate schemes. For example, coursework in Integrative Project

appeared to be very similar to the work I experienced during my internship.

What are the best bits of studying at Brookes?From day one the lecturers drilled into us about the techniques and protocol for getting a job. They went above and beyond to ensure that we were as hireable as possible by the end of our degree. I also formed some great friendships at Brookes and the Oxford nightlife and social life added to my overall university experience.

What advice do you have for others?Work hard! Nothing worth getting in life comes by easy so work hard and prove to yourself that you can do anything in life that you put your mind to. Getting what you want in life because you worked hard to get it is the most gratifying feeling.

Have fun! We only get one shot so don’t blow all your time away working. Don’t be afraid to have fun. Socialising/networking is a crucial skill to have. Remember that university is there to further enhance this skill.

After graduating from Brookes what were the next steps for your career and where are you working now?I’m currently working for Deloitte Real Estate. Through the assistance from Brookes Lecturers and through the Brookes career services centre I landed myself a job at Deloitte 6 months before I had even graduated.

What so far have been the best moments?I think the best moment to date was the satisfaction of starting a career in something that I enjoy doing. It is a great feeling knowing that I have landed a fantastic job that will hopefully have a long future ahead of it.

What so far have been the most challenging moments?Knowing that the long fun ride of university has finally come to an end. As much as I was excited to start my career in the property industry, university will always be one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Oxford Brookes University and several other WUC partners collaborated

closely with other Habitat Agenda partners in helping organise the 2014 Guangzhou Award for Urban Innovation which is jointly sponsored by the City of Guangzhou, UCLG and Metropolis.

In collaboration with other urban-focused institutions including ENDA, GDF-Suez, IAU-Ile de France, Penn Institute, World Future Council, and UCLG we participated actively in identifying innovative approaches to sustainable urban development throughout 2014.

Initially in September 2014 Dr Sue Brownill from the Department of Planning at Oxford Brookes and representatives of Citiscope, IAU and eight other global and regional institutions participated in the Technical Committee in Guangzhou to select a short-list of 15 outstanding initiatives from a total of 209 submissions from 159 cities and local authorities from 55 countries and territories.

The 15 short-listed initiatives were all invited to the second International Conference on Learning from Urban Innovation held in Guangzhou on 27 November 2014 after which an independent jury made its final selection of five awarding initiatives.

The conference was moderated by Professor Ramin Keivani of the Department of Real Estate and Construction Oxford Brookes University, Ms Anne-Marie Chavanon of the Council of Europe, Mr Manrique Roberto of the Inter-American Development Bank, Ms Wandia Seaforth, former Chief of Best Practices at UN-Habitat, and Mr Nicholas You, founder and honorary Chaiman of the World Urban Campaign Steering Committee. The jury was comprised of the former Mayors of Barcelona, Melbourne and Mexico City, Messrs Jordi Hereu, John So and Marcelo Ebrard; Thelma Awori, former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations; Mr Lin Yifu , former Senior Vice President of the World Bank; and Ms Ana Maria Rodrigues, manager of Institutions

for Development at the inter-American Development Bank.

The five award winning initiatives were:

■ Antioquia, Colombia for knitting together a regional territory through innovation in education.

■ Bristol, UK for its socially inclusive and citizen-led smart city approach.

■ Christchurch, New Zealand for a revolutionary approach and new governance model to post-disaster reconstruction.

■ Dakar, Senegal for having successfully secured a bond rating and mobilised financing on the world financial market.

■ Hangzhou, China for its highly original and large scale approach to bike sharing.

The next Award cycle will be in 2016 and WUC partners are invited to participate in various stages of its preparations and organisation – wwwguangzhouaward.org.

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All information is correct at the time of going to press. Please refer to the University’s website for the most up-to-date details. MMD 6155 12/15