Category Archives for "Architecture"

[Here is Bruce Firestone’s contribution to a new book called, Stories about Teaching at Carleton University, 2018]   When one of the courses (Design Economics) I taught at the School of Architecture (now the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism) was reviewed by their accreditation committee, I got a call from the director’s executive assistant […]

I talk a lot about animating buildings by finding clever ways to add new revenue streams. Here’s an example of a group that wants to animate their town. That place is Eganville, a tiny (1,100-person) gem halfway between Ottawa and Algonquin Park nestled on both side of the Bonnechere river.The group, led by my friend […]

Brian Dagenais is an enigma. How does a person who was a longterm employee in a highly structured environment (the payday lending industry) become a successful real estate investor, futuristic developer and out-there entrepreneur by age 44? It’s a mystery, and even though I’ve known Brian for years and I interviewed him for this article […]

It used to be that if a nation needed a new training facility, government had to write a BIG check to get it built. No longer. Brian Dagenais and his group (BlackSheep Developments, BSD, http://blacksheepdevelopments.com/) have reinvented this industry. How? Well, before I tell you that, have a look at this short video. This is Fortitude, […]

How to determine a site’s HABU, highest and best use? For decades the principle of Highest and Best Use has guided town/city/township/county councils and their municipal planners and economic development offices. To paraphrase Sir Winston Churchill, “It is the worst possible system except for all the others.” It can be defined this way— “Highest and […]

Looking for a pot of gold? Look no further than your basement where a leprechaun has left you a treasure… [CASE STUDY: renovation, investment, cap rate, basement excavation, subterranean rights, rental rate, marketing] Think you have to visit London England to see basement excavations that add living space to a house below grade, http://profbruce.tumblr.com/post/166749246449/central-london? Think that these […]