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Runstad Center

About the Runstad Center

The Runstad Center is based in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington. The Center is a service organization, operating a leading real estate program that helps advance best practices in the industry and graduate students who can launch and maintain successful careers.  A cornerstone gift from Judy and Jon Runstad created the Center in 2001 within the College of Built Environments, providing a permanent focus to the intellectual and research interests in real estate at the University of Washington.  The Wright Runstad Company has been a major force in shaping commercial office development in the Northwest and both Judy and Jon Runstad are graduates of the University of Washington.  Another 250 firms and individuals have contributed endowed funds providing the Center flexibility to create exciting new programs of service and research, as well as in education.

The Runstad Center is the focal point for real estate research activities, providing a focused research agenda, marshalling the resources to carry out individual research projects, and disseminating results.  We take on a variety of research projects, with a focus on major issues, challenges and opportunities the industry faces. We use operating capital to augment funded research to support objective research that approaches issues from an academically rigorous, unbiased perspective.

Seattle is one of the top real estate markets in the United States and is the most vital of a number of fast growing markets within the Northwest.  The Runstad Center is positioned to access the resources of and focus on challenges in these dynamic regional markets to support outstanding education, research, and services available to the professional real estate industry.  The existing broad base of community and financial support has enabled the Center to grow in concert with the increasing complexities of regional real estate activities. 
The unique nature of real estate relative to other financial asset classes, makes access to the multiple academic and research resources within an internationally prominent public research university critical to the success of the Center.  By being located within the College of Built Environments, which houses programs in Design, Planning, and Construction, the Center is uniquely positioned to attract students and produce research focused on real estate as a physical, place-bound resource increasingly influenced by complex capital markets and public regulation. Helping define and shape the future of cities throughout the Northwest is a primary opportunity for faculty and students alike.

University of Washington /
224 Gould Hall, Box 355726
Seattle, WA 98195
Telephone / 206 543 7679