Schack Institute Goes Green With New Certificate Program

The new Certificate in Sustainable Design, Construction, and Development program, which begins in fall 2009, is yet another offering that keeps the Schack Institute of Real Estate’s curriculum current with the industry’s needs and the job market’s demands.

“Sustainability, a social goal set in laws and regulations, imposes complex obligations on our industry, but also presents financial opportunities for builders, investors, and managers,” says Divisional Dean D. Kenneth Patton. “Our Institute created this certificate program to clear a career path for those interested in equipping themselves to serve a vital public purpose and master an invaluable field of knowledge for future real estate practice.”

Robert Morgenstern, academic director of continuing education programs, flags the professional specialty as a current area of opportunity, citing an annual conference on sustainable building technology held in Boston that saw its attendance increase by 30 percent last year.

The certificate will be awarded for the successful completion of two required courses and two additional electives. The required courses—Principles of Environmentally Sustainable Design and Managing Sustainable Building Projects—teach practitioners the fundamentals of building and maintaining properties in the most environmentally responsible and economically efficient ways.

The design course covers equipment lifecycle analysis and costing, ratings systems, financial incentives, ecofriendly design, and construction techniques. The management course covers evaluating and selecting green products, recyclables, construction waste management, and renewable and certified materials, among other topics.

Elective courses include Indoor Environmental Quality; High Performance, Energy-Efficient Buildings; Environmentally Sustainable Real Estate Development; LEED Professional Accreditation Exam Preparation Course; and LEED Professional Accreditation Course—Accelerated Version.

The program’s faculty is drawn from the broad spectrum of professions interested in sustainable property design, development, and management. Instructors include ranking New York City architects, engineers, brokers, investment bankers, and lawyers.