Appointed as TU Delft professor of Public Real Estate

by Alexandra den Heijer

I am proud and happy to announce that I am appointed as professor of Public Real Estate at TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department MBE. My legacy and knowledge about university campuses are the foundation by which the expansion of the research field will be grounded, applying her knowledge to other owners of the built environment. I have made it my challenge to serve as a connector and interpreter in management and design processes.

The chair’s profile

The Chair of Public Real Estate focuses on the challenges of managing public real estate portfolios by building theory on improving decision-making processes and finding new concepts for the built environment.

Managing Public Real Estate – like managing university campuses – is about connecting four variables in every decision: (public) goals, financial resources, people and buildings (image by Flavia Curvelo Magdaniel)

University campuses, hospitals, schools, and city halls are just some examples of built environments that support public goals and have a large impact on society. Managing these buildings – often heritage on iconic locations – is never the primary task of the institutions that use them. However, they need to set an example to society and have a responsibility to implement public policies, resulting in meaningful, functional, affordable, and sustainable built environments.

The chair Public Real Estate supports owners of the built environment in achieving public goals. The research field connects both theories and practical references from other scientific disciplines in the built environment ranging from design, technological innovation and transformation of heritage buildings to interior architecture and urban development.

The chair’s mission

Prof. dr. ir. Alexandra den Heijer: “My mission is to support organisations’ decisions about (managing) their public real estate portfolios, resulting in (more) inspiring, meaningful, functional, affordable, resource-efficient and sustainable built environments.”

The chair’s legacy

Soon the page PUBLIC REAL ESTATE will contain more background information about the Public Real Estate Management legacy of the MBE department, including a link to the book “Public Real Estate” (Evers et al.), the dissertations “Public Real Estate Management: challenges for governments” (Pity van der Schaaf, 2002) and “Building for a better hospital: value-adding management & design of healthcare real estate” (Van der Zwart, 2014) and research publications about schools, museums and other public buildings.

More links:
– March 15, 2018 press release
– Alexandra den Heijer’s professor page