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Prof. Andrew Edkins was the founding director of the Bartlett Real Estate Institute. During his tenure, he became involved in many areas of new real estate thinking.
His real estate areas of activity and projects include:
- Two Real Estate Modules for MSc Healthcare Facilities and MSc Learning Environments
The two modules deliver on the original challenge set for the BREI, to reconsider and think differently about real estate. The two modules are taken by students engaged on courses that consider specific forms of real estate, one where value is a challenge to easily quantify. Using a variety of pedagogies and engagement with external speakers, students recognise and realise the wider role and importance real estate plays.
- The UCL Off World Living Institute (OWLI)
OWLI emerged after conversations that typified the BREI, eclectic and unexpected. Through links with the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory the idea was created to look into the issues of off world living from a range of perspectives – including that of real estate. The idea was supported from across many parts of UCL and the creation of OWLI played a role in securing UCL the designation from the European Space Agency (ESA) of being an ‘ESA-Lab’. Further links have been made, including to UCL’s Centre for Outer Space Studies (COSS). Recently, a presentation on OWLI was given to the British Interplanetary Society (BIS).
- Ongoing Scholarly Projects and Collaborations
Following previous collaboration with the Systems Centre at the University of Bristol on the joint EPSRC/ESRC International Centre for Infrastructure Futures, a current project is being developed to consider places (e.g. a town or region) as a collection of complex and interacting systems. This project also builds upon both previous research that is being further developed through ongoing teaching.
To look at real estate in new ways requires collaboration and it has been a privilege to work with some great individuals from a variety of interesting organisational players in modern real estate, such as Igloo, Phoenix Community Housing, Sutton Housing Society, Clarion Housing Association, the Agile Ageing Alliance and APAM UK. Building these relationship has led to the development of many ‘threads’ that have played a role in both teaching and research, including guest lectures, bespoke teaching cases and contributing to future thinking as illustrated by the publishing of the report ‘Cultivating Neighbourhoods that Care’.