Magazines from the world Housing shortage? Converting offices into residential projects Housing shortage? Converting offices into residential projects According to the blog ArchDaily, offices left empty by pandemic-related smartworking could provide an interesting solution to the shortage of housing that has traditionally been the driver of architectural speculation. The housing shortage has long been the catalyst for architectural reflection on adapting and valorising underused city locations: “the health crisis and its work from home imperatives have brought into sharp focus the adaptive reuse potential of office spaces into housing. The probability that some office buildings remain vacant post-pandemic opens up the possibility of bringing back housing to city centres, enabling the implementation of a 15-minute city vision,” says the author Andreea Cutieru in her ArchDaily blog. Turning offices into homes has also become attractive to real estate companies. According to David Bourla, Chief Economist at Knight Frank: “investors are now seeking to rebalance their portfolios in favour of residential property, which is less correlated to economic crises and less exposed to the structural upheavals associated with the Covid-19 pandemic." This could become a more sustainable approach, often working out cheaper than demolition, even though building legislation and the morphology of office buildings could hinder their conversion. In the United States, converting buildings from commercial to residential use, previously attempted in cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles during the 1980s and 1990s, often led to the building of luxury residential units. “However, subsidy financing for converting office buildings to housing could change the outcome, contributing to the alleviation of the housing crisis,” Cutieru continues. In Paris and in London there are other examples of awards and subsidies for the conversion of office buildings. This, the author concludes “holds value on multiple levels, extending the life on an obsolete or underused structure, helping the urban environment evolve, and addressing the housing crisis.” Credits Original Text: Andreea Cutieru Photo: Getty Images Magazine: ArchDaily Published by: ArchDaily Read the full article 12 January 2022 Add to bookmarks Add to bookmarks Share
Stories The biology of light, according to Manuel Spitschan What does chronobiology have to do with design? Manuel Spitschan, professor at the Technische Universität München, explains why light is essential to our well-being. And why designers should know more about it to design better. Giulia Zappa
Sustainability The Piazze Aperte scheme is really changing the face of Milan Since 2018, the two local governments helmed by Mayor Giuseppe Sala have closed more than fifty of the city’s streets and roads to traffic – but not to people. And this is just the beginning Fabrizio Fasanella
Salone Selection Danish stratigraphy: material practices and ethical visions at 3daysofdesign 2025 Not a trade fair, but a cultural ecology - an interweaving of voices, materials, gestures and narratives that speak of sustainability, authenticity, conscious beauty Marilena Sobacchi