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The purpose of this paper is to expand our understanding of processes governing commercial property cycles, and to provide tools, which enable identification of property cycles’ turning points’ location.

This paper is divided into three parts. The first looks at the demand-supply dynamics and the location of two characteristic cyclic points, the market bottom and the cycle commencement. In the second part a property relevant formula for entropy is derived, and its relation to the cycle overheated stage and the market peak is studied. In the third part, we discuss still another characteristic point of the cycle, which relates to the stage when developers elect to undertake new projects. This analysis is done by employing the chaos theory, and its relation to the cyclic evolution.

It is found that some markets cycle, while others fluctuate only. A clear method for distinguishing among these is provided. The bottom of a cycle may overlap or be time separated from the start of a subsequent cycle. Market peaks are characterised by a sharp decrease in financial component to entropy for top quality building grades. A cycling market is characterised by crossing of a distinct vacancy rate during the cycle progression.

The tools developed in the paper allow for clear characterisation of the market types and their cyclic behaviour. This in turn allows for timely characterisation of the market state and for short time-frame forecasting. The depth of a cycle may be calculated and the subsequent correction level estimated.

The paper utilises cross-field approach by taking methods from both physics and mathematics and applying them to property markets. It breaks new ground both in property research and in applied mathematics by showing how the current frontier in pure mathematics may be applied to property.

The purpose of this study is to provide a chaos theory-based framework, which can be used to model commercial property market dynamics.

The paper is presented in two parts. In the first, rigorous mathematical reasoning is entertained, so to derive an attractor describing a set of feedback formulae. In the second part, the attractor definition is used to model the Auckland commercial office market. The model is exposed through a set of seven scenarios allowing for analysis of the market behaviour under various exogenously imposed conditions.

The general behaviour of the model is in agreement with the commercial property market conduct observed in Auckland. The model provides information related to the market turning points and allows for an explanation of some intricate market dynamics. These include the anatomy of a market peak and its response to the liquidity oversupply.

The model may be used to expand our understanding of the market performance under various exogenically imposed conditions, which allows for planning of market interventions in a more refined manner.

The paper is original, in the way the chaos theory is applied to the property markets modelling and allows for expanding the understanding of the market behaviour.

The purpose of this paper is to extend the studies of commercial property yields by providing a cross-field approach through the implementation of methods used in physics.

Based on the equations used to describe real gases in physics, the commercial property yields are expressed through a model, as a product of two terms. The first term estimates the influence of the income change and investment on yields. The second estimates the yield variation as a function of property size. Additionally, the model combines the macroeconomic and microeconomic components influencing yield adjustment. Calculation of each component involves procedures developed in physics, with the investment volume being linked to the amount of gas and the microeconomic yield being linked to the gas compressibility.

The model was applied to the Auckland office and industrial markets, both to the historic and current cycle. At the macro-level, it was found that the use of accumulation of investment over a relevant cycle, results in a high data to model correlation. When modelling the yields at the micro-level, a relationship between the outlying properties and the yield softening was observed.

The paper provides an enhanced modelling power through association of the cyclic and investment activity with the yield change. Moreover, the model may be used to decouple the local and the international investment components and the extent of their influence on the local property market. Furthermore, it may be used to estimate the influence of the property size on the yield.

This research provides a new cross-field application of modelling techniques and enhances the understanding of factors influencing yield adjustments.

The purpose of this paper is to extend the studies of commercial property cycles by providing a cross-field approach to property markets modelling.

The approach allows for the incorporation of market shocks into the property cycle model as fundamental building blocks; assessment of overall market absorption generated through cyclic activity; and timing estimation of major market events. An ideal model is first constructed, which relies on an observation that a property cycle consists of four distinctive phases. These are described formally through appropriate formulae. Subsequently, it is observed that an analogous cyclic behaviour is described in physics as the Otto cycle. The formulae derived in physics for the Otto cycle are now redefined so to be applicable to the property market.

The model has been applied to the London office market, both to the historic and the current data sets. This allowed for the comparison of model predicted absorption and vacancies with the historic records, providing for assessment of the model accuracy. The model predicted that absorption was also compared with historic space supply allowing for estimation of oversupply and resultant vacancies. London office submarkets were analysed and compared to each other, allowing for estimation of their relative attractiveness as perceived by tenants and developers.

The model may be used to estimate cycle generated absorption; therefore, over and under supply of space due to developers’ activity may be assessed. It is also possible to use the model to assess the timing of future market peaks and troughs.

This is the first research directly applying the methodology developed in physics to commercial property cycles.