Archive for May, 2010
Technology through the Looking Glass
May 19th
IWMS, BIM, CAFM, CAD, GIS, IOX, SOX, SAS, LEED, SQL, Cloud, Interoperability, Smart Buildings, Green Buildings… oh my! How do real estate professionals cope with all this jargon just to find a lease or sell a building? And are techies really taking over the world? More >
New Industrial Entrant in India
May 19th
The world’s third largest chemical company, UK-based INEOS is looking at options of setting up a catalyst unit in a special economic zone (Dahej SEZ) in Gujarat.
Senior officials from INEOS’ US and UK offices have visited the site recently to set up their project. The cost of the project would be about Rs1,000-crore ($222 million) initially and the operation would cater to the company’s clients in the eastern part of the world. More >
Is the Shopping Mall a Dead Concept?
May 18th
At the start of the recession, regional malls were in a difficult position. Battling competition from online retailers and as people turned to lower-cost bulk items to save money, shopping malls lost a lot of foot traffic and were in danger of becoming extinct. New shopping mall developments were put on hold, and even mega-malls, like New Jersey’s Xanadu, had their plans scaled back significantly in an attempt to match consumer sentiment. More >
Is Brazil Ready to Join the League of Respected Industrialized Nations?
May 17th
I am spending a couple of weeks in Brazil attending to business (of which there is plenty) and the certainty that Brazil is finally on the road to claiming its destiny as a top ranked economic power is palpable. Brazilians are sure that their time has come and soon they will join the League of Respected Industrialized Nations. I have no doubt that Brazil will continue to prosper and grow (in spite of its frustrating labyrinthine bureaucracy). However, on the real estate front it has to resolve some very real issues if it wishes healthy growth to continue; one issue is incredibly high lease rates. More >
Brownfields by History – Green Jobs by Choice
May 17th
Approximately 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia, a former steel mill is the new home to several internationally based manufacturing corporations and green industries. Formerly known as United States Steel Corporation – Fairless Works, the Keystone Industrial Port Complex (KIPC) has attracted revolutionary “green” technology jobs to Pennsylvania from around the world to this 4,000+ acre brownfield site. Effective as of January 1, 2005, the site became a Pennsylvania “Keystone Opportunity Zone,” providing tax incentives for new companies until 2018–a manufacturing resurgence was born. More >
