Converting Offices to Flats
The discussion
Luca: With so many office floors sitting empty since remote work took off, converting them into flats seems like an obvious fix for the housing shortage. The buildings already exist, so it's faster and greener than building new estates.
Mei: I worked on a feasibility study for exactly that, and most office blocks have deep floor plates, so the middle of each floor gets no daylight. You end up with windowless bedrooms or expensive structural changes that wipe out the savings.
Daniel: Even where conversions work, I'm not sure we want business districts becoming dormitories. There are no schools, playgrounds or supermarkets nearby, and residents would still drive elsewhere for everything.
Luca: Shops and schools follow people, though. Plenty of former dockland areas were pure industry thirty years ago and are now ordinary neighbourhoods with all of that.
Mei: That's true, and I'd happily see newer, narrower towers converted. I just think the council should assess buildings individually rather than offering a blanket incentive that pushes developers into bad conversions.
Daniel: Case-by-case I can accept, but I'd rather pair any conversion with a requirement to add ground-floor services. Otherwise we're just creating isolated flats with a nice view.
Luca: Services on the ground floor sounds sensible; I'd just want the approval process kept quick so the empty space doesn't sit idle for years.