What we’re reading: Rethinking zombie malls

Shopping malls, that onetime centerpiece of American consumer life, are dying off across the country. But what if rather than tearing them down, they could be repurposed into new, verdant community hubs? That’s the argument put forth by architecture critic Alexandra Lange in a compelling New York Times op-ed. “Ground cleared and buildings constructed for one kind of community benefit — shopping — could be reduced, reused and recycled to serve a broader and greener community purpose, with…

‘Collaborative’ conveyancing proptech secures new funding

Apis Cor raises $35M to disrupt the home construction industry

Apis Cor, a construction tech startup that uses 3D printing and robotics machinery to produce buildings, today announced raising a $35 million fundraise led by Rialto Markets, according to a press release shared with FinLedger. The company says it will use the funding to expand its workforce, fleet of printers and bulk trucks, and to establish multiple 3D printing material batching plants. It also said it plans to utilize the capital for ongoing product improvement and dev…

Oxford Properties’ COO on why he hires people who can fail

Hiring people who “know how to fail” has been at the top of Dean Hopkins’ list of priorities since he took over as chief operations officer of Canadian real estate investor, developer and asset manager Oxford Properties in 2019. “I have injected 100 people into the business throughout the coronavirus

Sonny Kalsi, Co-CEO, BentallGreenOak, To Deliver Keynote Presentation at CREtech New York Conference, This October 12-13

New York (May 13, 2022) CREtech, the world’s leading community of professionals devoted to technological innovation in the real estate sector, has announced Sonny Kalsi, Co-CEO, BentallGreenOak, will deliver a Keynote Presentation at CREtech’s flagship conference, CREtech New York, this October 12-13, 2022. Sonny’s Keynote Presentation will take place on the Main Stage on the first day of the conference. BentallGreenOak (BGO) is a leading, global real estate investment management advisor and a …

The World’s Leading Built World Sustainability Professionals Assemble in Copenhagen for CREtech Climate’s Inaugural Global Leadership Summit

New York (May 10, 2022) — CREtech, the largest international community of professionals devoted to technological innovation in the real estate sector, hosted its first ever in-person CREtech Climate Global Leadership Summit in Copenhagen on May 17-19. The Summit assembled the world’s leading sustainability professionals to take real steps towards decarbonizing the real estate industry. Attendees of the CREtech Climate Global Leadership Summit had front row seats to high-level presentations f…

Quick chart: Workplace visits

“We expect the momentum to continue,” says Envoy head of analytics Jonathan Weindel. “And we see it in the headlines — almost every day more companies are either coming back fully, or coming back in a more hybrid fashion.”

Summer launches second home ownership platform

Summer, a proptech aimed at streamline second home ownership, today announced raising a $13.4 million seed funding round led by QED Investors and Lightspeed Ventures Partners, according to a press release. The company, launched this year by two previous Airbnb employees (CEO Paul Kromidas and COO Woods Buckley), says it is will use the funding to expand its homes and markets, and increase its remote-first team size (placing emphasis on engineering, sales, interior design and operation roles)….

PropTech startup YouConvey aims to improve home-moving process

Liverpool-based PropTech startup YouConvey has now raised £300,000 to make the home-moving process quicker and less stressful. It has raised the investment over two rounds from Nova Growth Capital since it was founded in 2021. YouConvey is described as a collaborative conveyancing service which allows customers to complete admin tasks often assigned to busy conveyancers. They are given access to all the necessary documentation they need to complete on day one of their transaction, allowing…

PropTech required to slash risk of fraud, letting agents told

Letting agents have been told they must have the right technology to reduce the risk of fraud. Olly Thornton-Berry, co-founder of risk management platform Thirdfort, says that agents should not solely rely on manual database checks and require help to reduce fraud risks, as a result of the frenzy over sales and lettings in recent