The Expert Podcast

• The idea of repurposing office buildings into residential units emerged as a possible solution to the housing crisis, especially as the pandemic left office spaces empty.
• Predictions were made that this could help ease the housing shortage, but it hasn't happened. Here's why:

• Deep Floor Plans:
  1. Commercial office buildings are often designed with deep floor plans, which don’t allow for necessary daylight or egress windows required by residential codes.
  2. Many residential areas require units to have windows for natural light and ventilation, which is difficult in these deep, internal spaces.
  3. Dividing these spaces into smaller residential units often blocks access to windows, making the conversion impractical.
• Patchwork Abandonment of Office Spaces:
  1. Office buildings don't often become completely empty all at once. Instead, companies vacate parts of the building, leaving others still in use.
  2. This patchwork abandonment makes it difficult to fully convert a building to residential use, as you either need to convert the whole building or none of it.
• Challenges with Utilities and Infrastructure:
  1. Commercial buildings are set up to handle centralized heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical systems for large tenants.
  2. Converting them to residential units means installing separate systems for each unit, including new plumbing, electrical meters, and heating/cooling units.
  3. This infrastructure work can be costly and complicated, often exceeding the potential returns from renting out the space as residential units.

• While the idea of converting office buildings into housing sounded appealing, the reality is much more complex.
• Factors like building design, incomplete abandonment, and the need for new infrastructure make such conversions costly and impractical.
• The dream of solving the housing crisis with these conversions isn't likely to become a widespread solution.