A team of Schulich students brought home a third-place finish from the Developers’ Den VII challenge, which saw 21 teams from North America’s top schools complete in a real-world real estate case.
Under tight deadlines, graduate students prepared proposals for mixed-use development of the Wellington Basin Sector in downtown Montreal. The top three teams, including Schulich, moved on to the final round and presented to a panel of leading industry executives.
After an intense day of planning and presenting, final judge Robert Howald, executive vice-president, Real Estate of Canada Lands Company CLC, applauded all teams for their hard work at the evening reception.
Howald said the winning team from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture had good synergy and worked well together through the Q&A portion of their presentation.
The third-place Schulich team consisted of Master of Real Estate & Infrastructure students Dina Badran, Abishek Bhasin, Pranavan Ganesh and Imran Mangalji. The judges complimented their attentive approach to community integration and city heritage.
Teams from MIT, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Rotman School of Management, Queen’s University and the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University also competed.
“Developers’ Den simulates the highly competitive nature of the real estate industry in front of a group of industry leaders, some of whom they are likely to confront in their professional careers,” said James McKellar, director, Brookfield Centre in Real Estate & Infrastructure. “It is an extraordinary learning opportunity that extends far beyond a classroom environment.”
Developers’ Den is organized by the Schulich Real Property Alumni Association and is presented by Altus Group. Net proceeds of Developers’ Den benefits the Student Experience Fund at the Brookfield Centre in Real Estate & Infrastructure.
Final judges also included: Michael Emory, president and CEO of Allied Properties REIT; Mitch Goldhar, chair of the board of SmartREIT and founder of SmartCentres; Jeff Hull, president of Hullmark Developments Ltd.; and Avi Tesciuba, senior managing director, country head of Hines Canada.