College Park, Md.— The analysis of a towering, 26-story affordable housing project in the South Bronx took first place at the tenth annual Colvin Case Study Challenge on Saturday, Dec. 5. Columbia University returned to College Park for its second victory in the competition’s history, beating out student teams from Virginia Tech, UT Austin and University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Sponsored by the UMD’s Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development, the Colvin Case Study Challenge is a national retrospective written case study competition that challenges teams to document a recent innovative real estate project within their own metropolitan region. Projects are judged blindly by leading real estate professionals on several criteria, including a depth of understanding of markets, project valuation, finance, urban design and sustainability, entitlement processes and operational issues.
“It’s a thrill to see universities return to this competition year after year with new crops of talented students, and Columbia is no exception,” said Maria Day-Marshall, director of the Colvin Institute for Real Estate Development. “Their thoughtful analysis of this unique project, which combines unparalleled sustainability with affordability, demonstrates that beautiful, environmentally friendly development is not a luxury, but a concept that can be replicated for everyone.”
This year’s winning teams offered a mix of undergraduate and graduate-level expertise, with a hybrid undergraduate/graduate team from UT Austin, a competition first. Their analysis of Austin’s 700 River, a high-rise, luxury housing oasis, took third place. Virginia Tech’s second-place win examined Apex Plaza, a sustainably minded office building in Charlottesville, Va. An honorable mention was awarded to University of Nevada, Las Vegas for their case study on UnCommons Phase 1, a mixed-use development in southern Nevada.
“The Colvin Case Study Challenge embodies the experiential learning that is at the heart of University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation,” said Dr. Dawn Jourdan, dean. “It is an honor to be able to host these talented students each year; it's a glimpse into the future of the profession.”
Colvin Case Study Challenge 2025 Winners:
First Place: Columbia University
Lama Barhoumi, Taylor Lowery, David Ni
Project: 425 Grand Concourse
Second Place: Virginia Tech
Bo Dortch, Allison Richards, Amanda Roberts
Project: Apex Plaza
Third Place: University of Texas at Austin
Omar Chavez, Rithvik Shroff, Shaun Joseph
Project: 700 River
Honorable Mention: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Hallie McClintock, Josemaria Sebastian Ladao, Aden Rose
Project: UnCommons Phase 1
The 2025 Colvin Institute Colvin Case Study Jury was Alan Goldstein, Principal, Rock Creek Real Estate Development LLC; Karen McGrath Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Finance, Bucknell University and Mo Smith, Partner, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP.
The Colvin Case Study Challenge is named for the late Baltimore developer John Colvin, who founded the Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development in 2008. The institute supports the interdisciplinary approach of UMD’s Master of Real Estate Development curriculum, which comprehensively covers finance and capital markets, law and public policy, structure and site design, construction management, property, portfolio and asset management as well as marketing and commercial leasing. Learn more about the Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development.