10/23/2025
💡 Why Office-to-Residential Conversions Keep Failing
Everyone loves the idea:
🏢 Turn empty offices into condos.
🏘 Fix housing.
🌆 Save downtowns.
But here’s the problem — the math doesn’t work.
🏗️ Floor plates are too deep.
💰 Retrofit costs are sky-high.
📜 Approvals take forever.
You’re not renovating — you’re rebuilding inside an old shell.
Yes, a few conversions will happen (older, well-located buildings).
But most? Too expensive, too complex, too slow.
If we want real housing solutions, policy and design need to catch up to economics.
Not every office can — or should — become a condo.
👉 What do you think — should cities push conversions harder, or focus on new purpose-built housing?
Share your take in the comments 👇
