I keep hearing that empty office buildings are an economic time bomb. I keep hearing that housing inventory is low which is why house prices are high. Why can’t we convert offices to homes?
In: 4298
Its like converting a car into an EV. You CAN do it, it’ll just be way more expensive and you probably wont end up with a very good EV. So you might as well just buy an ev from the factory and save money unless you have a really compelling reason
You could live in an office, as long as you don’t mind communal bathrooms and kitchens down the hall.
It‘s possible, some are already doing it.
A huge problem is that most offices are built to be used as office space.
So lots of smaller individual or several really large rooms. Most offices usually have one bathroom and one kitchen per floor. But because most levels are way too big for only one flat and several people probably don’t want to share one kitchen and one bathroom with all their neighbors you need to build the electrical infrastructure to operate several stoves and ovens, also the plumbing for several bathrooms on one level.
Especially the plumbing could be really complicated and time consuming, therefore hugely expensive.
Another factor is that those offices might be in the more industry-oriented parts of the city, so further outside the city center and you might actually need permits to have people living in the areas of industry, at least it’s like that in Germany.
I‘m sure there are several other points to be made though.
Kind of like how cars and shopping carts both have four wheels and are used for moving things. If we had a surplus of shopping carts, don’t expect it to help with the shortage of automobiles.
Commercial buildings aren’t homes. You’re just seeing four walls and people inside and thinking “must be the same”. If you’ve ever looked at the price of renting residential vs commercial, it’s substantially more per square area. And for good reason.
OP has been answered with good and some bad info. OP ask yourself one question. Would you want to live in an office building? The flickering fluorescent lights, the sound of the HVAC system and that one vent that always clicks, the smell of old coffee and despair that permeates everything, the almost imperceptible sound of the tormented souls of tens of thousands of employees who have endured endless hours of soul crushing, mind numbing labor?
Who is the “we” in your question?
Private developers can and will do it when and if they think it is the best thing they can do with their capital. They will crunch all the numbers and decide on a case by case basis. They know how to figure out where they can make a profit. If cities offer to contribute funds, that will go into the calculations.
Maybe cities will want to take this on. Then it’s a matter of money and politics.
99% Invisible just did a podcast about this. Long story short, completely different plumbing, floorplans, and building codes. It can be done, but you’re basically demolishing the interior and replacing it with a new one.
You need to convert one big bathroom with several small ones. Bedrooms need windows access. Each unit needs its own breaker panel and thermostat. Parking regulations are different for office versus residential.
Also, zoning. Cities have to be on board with it or they won’t approve it.
My old downtown office building is being converted to either condos or apartments. Told a former coworker that a new tenant could carry on his tradition of sleeping in his cube.
There’s a great 99% Invisible podcast that addresses these issues.
[99% Invisible] 551- Office Space #99Invisible
https://podcastaddict.com/99-invisible/episode/162886147 via @PodcastAddict
There is a really good 99% Invisible episode about this.
[99% Invisible – Office Space](https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/office-space/)
Latest Answers