American Cities Have a Conversion Problem, and It’s Not Just Offices
www.nytimes.com
Piles of regulations, or “kludge,” and a culture of “no” are limiting the ability to turn building blocks into something new.

Paywall https://archive.is/2023.07.02-211826/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/01/upshot/american-cities-office-conversion.html

  • ClimateChangeAnxiety [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    “There’s nothing about that building — its construction, its mechanicals, its structural engineering — that prevents it from being converted”

    Aside from the plumbing, ventilation, availability of windows, and often weight requirements of the building.

    • ClimateChangeAnxiety [he/him, they/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Factories become loft apartments. Industrial waterfronts become public parks. Warehouses become start-up offices and restaurant scenes.

      Yes, and do you want to explain to me what’s different about those buildings compared to modern office towers? Could it have anything to do with the design, the availability of windows, setup of plumbing/wiring/utilities/elevators, and weight limits?

    • berrytopylus [she/her,they/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      They've actually already turned similar buildings into apartments already. https://archive.is/2023.06.27-200134/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/11/upshot/office-conversions.html while all of those are certainly challenges, they've also already been tackled in similar buildings. The difference between them here is the zoning laws.