Why office-to-housing conversions are more complicated than they sound

Office buildings in Boston's skyline at night
Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Converting office space to housing units sounds like a win-win in the post-pandemic world of remote work and scarce housing.

But revitalizing business districts, eliminating a glut of vacant office space and creating much-needed housing by converting office space to apartments or condos is more complicated than it may sound, says Northeastern University associate professor Tim Love. 

“For office buildings pre-World War II … they work well for conversions because the wings of the buildings are much narrower than modern office buildings. This was necessary because office workers needed to rely on natural light and ventilation before the advent of cheap electricity and air conditioning,” says Love, an associate professor in the School of Architecture. Love is also the founding principal of Utile, an architecture and planning firm in Boston.

“Post-1970s office buildings,” Love continues, “are much more difficult to convert.”

Headshot of Tim Love outside.
Tim Love, associate professor of architecture. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Office vacancies continue to surge as the post-pandemic world of remote working changes American work culture, and higher interest rates and a slowing economy pause companies’ expansion plans.

Housing, meanwhile, is scarce with both rental and homeowner housing vacancies near 20-year lows, and sales and rental prices continuing to climb. The problem is even more acute in major metropolitan regions such as Boston, New York City and the Bay Area.

Unsurprisingly, these metropolitan areas are also at the forefront of the offices-to-housing push. 

New York City has a plan to convert offices to 20,000 units of housing, San Francisco has similar ambitions for converting offices, and Boston hopes to spark conversions by offering building owners a three-year tax abatement.

But Love notes it’s easier said than done.

In fact, Love’s firm recently completed a study of the viability of office-to-residential conversions in downtown Boston.

Utile found that there are 380 buildings in downtown Boston with primarily commercial use, of which 201 were potentially eligible for conversion. 

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