Dr. Clara Weber, a research associate in the Workplace Management Research Group at the Institute of Facility Management (IFM), has won the prestigious Real Estate Research Prize (gif Immobilien-Forschungspreis) from the Society of Property Researchers, Germany. Within the framework of her thesis, she investigated the consequences of a lack of privacy in open office environments and developed new measures to protect privacy. Her doctoral thesis, entitled "Privacy Fit in Open-Plan Offices: Its Appraisal, Associated Outcomes & Contextual Factors” and conducted at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom, was supervised by Dr. Birgitta Gatersleben and Prof. Jane Ogden.

The Society of Property Researchers, Germany (gif Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung) has been awarding the Real Estate Research Prize since 1994. From a record number of 96 submitted works, eight award winners were recognised this year in the three categories of Doctorates/Habilitations, Master’s/Diploma Theses and Bachelor's Theses. The Society of Property Researchers, Germany, is supported in its decision-making process by around 100 honorary experts. The award-winning research provides new approaches, methods and results for the real estate sector.

Dr. Clara Weber’s thesis took first place in the Doctorate/Habilitation category. The prize is endowed with 2,500 euros. The award ceremony was held as part of the Society’s online forum, “Research Day – A Compass that Doesn’t Only Point North”.

Society of Property Researchers, Germany (gif Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung e. V.)
The Society of Property Researchers, Germany, was founded on 15 October, 1993 and it has around 1,300 members today. The non-profit association aims to bring together theory and practice and contributes to clarifying important real estate issues, as well as to improving market transparency.