The course is an introduction to the real estate development lifecycle taught through the lens of the Architect. It follows the typical chronology of a multi-family residential project with each week focusing on one phase, starting from a developer’s initial interest in a site to a resident moving into the fully realized building; in between, the course addresses feasibility and acquisitions, entitlements and zoning, financing, design, construction, marketing and branding, and operations and asset management. We employ this linear framework first to understand the underlying components of each phase, and second to evaluate: what is the role of the architect—past versus present, real versus perceived? Where the architect’s role has been eroded or altered over time, how can they rebuild it—leveraging their multifaceted skillset, taking on new responsibilities, learning new modes of analysis—to maximize agency, impact and compensation? Finally, we ask broader questions that cut across the development lifecycle: what does an enhanced architect mean for the other players along the value chain? What does it mean for the ability of the architect to impact development strategy, or to frame development as a series of design challenges? How does the dynamic between form and finance, design and development change? And, what does the rebuilt architect mean for the final product—the realized building—and the built environment?