Applied Research

Core Themes of the Roundtable

Themes that the Roundtable will focus on in its events, applied research and network management will be determined by its membership, and will evolve over time. The table below is based on initial consultations with executive representatives of actual and prospective Roundtable member companies, and is intended as an expression of the initial direction of the organization. Asterisks indicate the three themes identified by those consulted as top priorities.

Canadian organizations investing in foreign real estate *	Obstacles to international real estate investment and strategies for overcoming them Assessing and managing multitude of risks in foreign real estate investment Property rights, regulation and related concerns Property and income taxation Identifying and working with local partners
Responsible Property Investing (RPI) *	Environmental sustainability Ethics, transparency and governance Role of RPI in broader Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Green buildings and energy efficiency *	Measuring building performance, especially as its systems age. Depreciation, obsolescence, costing retrofits Emissions trading for buildings
Performance / efficiency of corporate real estate (CRE)	Methods of measuring and comparing building performance/efficiency (benchmarking) Role of use of space on employee performance, health, absenteeism and job satisfaction Aligning CRE to corporate goals and needs Forecasting future corporate space requirements
Influence of transportation infrastructure (e.g. transit and roads) on commercial real estate	How transportation infrastructure affects rents Effect of transportation on location choices Effect of transportation on land values