Roughly one in three office buildings in the largest U.S. cities are well suited to be converted to multifamily residential properties, according to a study by global real estate firm Avison Young.
Some 6,206 buildings across 10 U.S. cities present viable opportunities for conversion to residential use. These buildings were built before 1990 with floor sizes below 15,000 sf, making them good candidates for conversion. Such properties are better suited for converting to apartments or condominiums than buildings with larger floor plans that are harder to divide into living spaces.
New York City, the largest U.S. office market at 975 million sf, has the most older buildings available at 1,698, according to Avison Young. Los Angeles is second with 1,212 and Chicago comes in third with 1,030.
The volume of conversions has risen considerably since 2016. A CBRE report last December showed 85 conversions underway this year, double those completed last year. In 2016, the there were 24 conversions.
Converting old office buildings to other uses has gained momentum since the Covid pandemic struck. Office utilization is at an average of 50% across major cities, according to a recent study by security technology firm Kastle Systems.
If that level of use persists, there will be more pressure to convert older offices, which generally operate less sustainably than new properties built to more stringent energy codes, for other purposes.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Apr 14, 2021
Miami's Adela at MiMo Bay combines a residential building with an American Legion facility
The five-story residential building features 236 units and a new American Legions Facility for military veterans.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 12, 2021
103 income-restricted residential units under construction in Downtown Denver
KTGY is designing the project.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 2, 2021
250-unit rental building opens in Brooklyn
CetraRuddy designed the project.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 30, 2021
Bipartisan ‘YIMBY’ bill would provide $1.5B in grants to spur new housing
Resources for local leaders to overcome obstacles such as density-unfriendly or discriminatory zoning.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 30, 2021
ProCONNECT Multifamily, ProCONNECT Single-Family open for Developers, Builders, Architects
Sponsors and Attendees can still sign up for ProCONNECT Multifamily April 21-22, ProCONNECT Single-Family for May 18-19
Multifamily Housing | Mar 28, 2021
Smart home technology 101 for multifamily housing communities
Bulk-services Wi-Fi leads to better connectivity, products, and services to help multifamily developers create greater value for residents–and their own bottom line.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 27, 2021
Designing multifamily housing today for the post-Covid world of tomorrow
The multifamily market has changed dramatically due to the Covid pandemic. Here's how one architecture firm has accommodate their designs to what tenants are now demanding.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 23, 2021
One Hundred Above the Park completes in St. Louis
Studio Gang designed the building.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 22, 2021
Waldorf Astoria Miami will become the tallest tower south of Manhattan
The supertall tower will include a hotel and residences.