How to Convert Empty Offices Into Luxury Apartments | WSJ

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
  • Office conversions into apartments are surging as the amount of vacant office buildings continue to increase nationwide. With housing in short supply, real estate developers are converting more boardrooms into bedrooms.
    But not all buildings are candidates for reuse, even as more than one billion square feet of office space sits vacant across the country. Could this be a solution to the U.S.’s housing shortage?
    WSJ takes an inside look at the site of future luxury apartments in the Financial District of Manhattan to see the challenges behind converting an office building into housing.
    0:00 Office to apartment conversions are rising
    0:45 Why pre-war office buildings are suited for apartment conversions
    2:42 Post-war buildings are challenging to convert
    4:48 Office Conversions and affordable housing
    6:06 Other financial and design challenges
    News Explainers
    Some days the high-speed news cycle can bring more questions than answers. WSJ’s news explainers break down the day's biggest stories into bite-size pieces to help you make sense of the news.
    #Luxury #RealEstate #WSJ

ความคิดเห็น • 393

  • @vkdrk
    @vkdrk 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +473

    ''we don't want a residential building, this is an office district, we want to preserve jobs...'' What jobs are you preserving in an empty building?

    • @paxundpeace9970
      @paxundpeace9970 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Great line

    • @imeakdo7
      @imeakdo7 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      They mean in office jobs

    • @poppinc8145
      @poppinc8145 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Putting the cart before the horse much? Some areas might want zoning so that landlords don't opt for housing over offices even before the latter closes shop on its own. It's the same reason you wouldn't a random building full of offices in a residential suburban area.

    • @FGH9G
      @FGH9G 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

      Thank you for pointing that out. It is totally ridiculous thinking, because mixed use neighborhoods, meaning areas of a city that have office space, commercial real estate, and residential space within close proximity of one another, and even occupying the same parcels of land, actually can make a place MORE lively, and can actually increase job growth and retention.

    • @vkdrk
      @vkdrk 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      @@imeakdo7 but those office buildings are empty...so again, what office jobs are they preserving in empty office buildings?

  • @karepanman8705
    @karepanman8705 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +65

    The lack of light and air in "modern" offices is also part of why a lot of people don't enjoy working inside them.

  • @chadlukas
    @chadlukas 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +314

    Local governments should also be realistic and be open to change zoning codes in their cities. Cities need a mix use area wherein people can live, work and have quality life within 20 mins of walking. Wouldn't it be nicer if workers can just walk or have shorter commute to and from work?

    • @MAG320
      @MAG320 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      The taxes have already been paid, so theres no incentive other than some election.
      Thank your local NIMBYs for that part.

    • @ViceCoin
      @ViceCoin 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      I lived 20 minutes walking distance to work in Minneapolis. No car needed.

    • @mohammedsarker5756
      @mohammedsarker5756 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +40

      single family zoning shouldn't exist in a city PERIOD. San Francisco and LA zone over 70% of their city for single family homes only and then wonder why housing is so expensive and a person making $125k still needs government assistance. Talk about self own

    • @Basta11
      @Basta11 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      Ideally, we zone more like Japan or do away with residential and commercial zoning altogether and make them mix use. That would be quite disruptive since we've been building out in a not so smart way for a long time.
      Getting rid of parking requirements one mile from transit stations and job centers like shopping malls, colleges, hospitals, military bases, business districts, and downtowns. That will do a lot as many of these places are adjacent to single family homes, low density commercial, and massive parking lots.
      For reference on what that would do, look at all the senior living apartments in any city. Their parking requirements are usually lower by half than normal. These places tend to have the largest buildings and cheapest rents. They are often located in prime areas as well close to walkable main streets.

    • @citibear57
      @citibear57 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      My city's downtown is a ghost town after 5:00 pm as there are very few residences there. Everyone hurries home to suburbia.

  • @Roshofrosho
    @Roshofrosho 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +362

    600 units that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. That’s great, hopefully we do more conversions in the future and decrease their cost. An empty office building helps no one. And housing can revitalize an area.

    • @JaganDoodala
      @JaganDoodala 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Great comment, said better than I ever could! Cheers 😊🥳

    • @paxundpeace9970
      @paxundpeace9970 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +14

      This proves it can work out to convert those office towers.
      I would like to see more mixed use.
      Having some offices floors and some housing floors could be great with retail or commercial spaces in Base or Ground levels.

    • @JaganDoodala
      @JaganDoodala 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      @@paxundpeace9970 Agreed, humans take up enough space as is. Let’s try and make the most of what we’ve got! Lol

    • @java4653
      @java4653 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      Sorry, but more expensive options does not help the housing crisis.

    • @monsieurbono
      @monsieurbono 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      why is news so focused on metropolitan issues? do you guys ever get out of town?

  • @YDINO69
    @YDINO69 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +82

    Man I worked on this deal quite a bit. The boys at vanbarton know what they are doing. But the real reason this works is because they are working with Nathan Berman who happens to own the sister mirror building, 180 water st so it’s a much easier “copy paste” conversation than it would be otherwise. (Easier not easy)

  • @isaacliu896
    @isaacliu896 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +105

    Glad to see lots of innovation in this area! I remember seeing a lot of naysayers insist that office-to-residential conversions were impossible/prohibitively expensive, but I think building light shafts/wells is an interesting solution.

    • @java4653
      @java4653 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      "I remember"....no, you don't. These comments are so funny. The WSJ really has gone down hill, along with it's audience.

    • @JT-hq2cc
      @JT-hq2cc 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      I don't think light shafts are a solution for the prohibitively expensive aspect of it.
      But it is a good solution for maximizing usable/rentable space!
      NY has passed laws and is offering incentives which make some conversions worth it - but a vast majority of office spaces are still "prohibitively expensive" because of zoning laws, regulation, etc. :) hopefully cities can insentivise conversions and work with these developers!

    • @user-pf5xq3lq8i
      @user-pf5xq3lq8i 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      This is a begging video for city taxpayers to bail out the owners of these empty buildings. Corruption.

    • @tracy419
      @tracy419 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@java4653you could always Google and see the articles for yourself🙄

  • @tebec3624
    @tebec3624 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +37

    Appreciated the explanation of converting older vs newer buildings. Going forward all office buildings should be designed with conversion in mind because housing is going to remain a big issue. We have the design software so let's use it properly.

  • @sarahmace5139
    @sarahmace5139 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Remote workers finally got a break from outrageous cost of housing plus exhausting commutes.

  • @rachelsnow8448
    @rachelsnow8448 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    business is wild they're like: there's not enough air and light to live here but please still come into the office and spend 40+ hours a week in the space anyways.

  • @celieboo
    @celieboo 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    The opening lines of this piece highlight the problem with housing in this country.
    We are short on housing, yet developers only want to build luxury housing. We don't need anymorw luxury housing! Hardly anyone can afford it!

  • @brandonsanders6033
    @brandonsanders6033 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +26

    There's actually a fairly simple solution to areas in the middle of the building that don't receive light and air: turn them into public storage space. In most cases, you DON'T want light and air in those places. You also kill two birds with one stone wrt access control, and dealing with running plumbing. And because of the way that people tend to use storage units, you won't have heavy foot traffic from non-tenants.
    This might not apply much to NYC, which lives in its own reality distortion field, but in other places, it would solve a lot of the problems associated with trying to make every single square foot liveable.

    • @MrSkeltal268
      @MrSkeltal268 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      There are so many things they could put in the middle. Gym space, community space, laundry? Even storage like you mentioned.

    • @M.Evra91
      @M.Evra91 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@MrSkeltal268 gym space and community space need windows. I am not sure if a laundry room would generate enough money to justify it. Maybe a paid parking lot in the middle? I am no architect so idk if that one makes sense. They would have to soundproof it if someone's apartment is connected to it

    • @mrparts
      @mrparts 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      The addition of that courtyard in the center is to provide windows to allow more units to be built and make the project economically viable. Without those center units, the rental price of the periphery units would be significantly higher.

    • @brandonsanders6033
      @brandonsanders6033 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@MrSkeltal268 @MEvra-wj6up Really, it's just about working with the resources we have. Any use that doesn't require massive, expensive retrofitting and structural work is worth considering!

    • @brandonsanders6033
      @brandonsanders6033 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@mrparts I don't know that I agree. A lot of these buildings would be condos, which could be marketed at a higher price per unit because of the exclusivity. This might not make up for the potential return of the missing units, but you also don't have the major structural cost and concerns of literally putting a hole in the middle of your building. You're also not earning nothing from the storage units; rent can be higher than market because many units would presumably be rented by residents - they're essentially receiving a discount on extra square footage that isn't serviced by water or personal climate control. Convenience costs.
      Finally, many of these projects are only viable because of public investment. The public has the prerogative to say that investors don't need to necessarily make ridiculous profits off of overwrought, lengthy luxury projects when a quick conversion would yield much-needed housing and storage in 1-2 years, instead of 5-7. Affordable units happened, and this could too.

  • @MAG320
    @MAG320 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    Wow. The buildings are actually being coverted after 20 years of talk. Impressive.

  • @MrTaco1818
    @MrTaco1818 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    All Americans have it wrong. We don’t need “affordable housing”. We just need more housing. Doesn’t matter if it’s luxury. The key is more supply. This will reduce costs long term.

  • @theoblongbox4909
    @theoblongbox4909 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    I hope they do this to more places, but make the apartments regular and not "luxury" (which really means nothing nowadays).

  • @esm2000
    @esm2000 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    sounds like since pre-war buildings are better for conversions nyc is more primed than most of the west coast (like SF)

    • @serafinacosta7118
      @serafinacosta7118 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Besides , Pre War buildings have more architectural appeal. Most of them already have been converted.

    • @poppinc8145
      @poppinc8145 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Why even bring up the west coast? California doesn't allow landlords to build apartment buildings in most places. The housing crisis there is entirely artificial and man-made.

    • @serafinacosta7118
      @serafinacosta7118 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@poppinc8145 with dwindling tax collections , give it time. Eventually they will be forced to cave in. Or become a Detroit.
      Even the commies in the West will have to figure out that with shrinking tax rolls , fewer programs they can milk. Between the NIMBYies and the Plutocracy at city hall , they have to see the cow udders are going to dry up and be an end to fat times.

  • @tjbellah349
    @tjbellah349 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +49

    It’s funny how removing square footage actually helps some of these conversions.

    • @paxundpeace9970
      @paxundpeace9970 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      In the first example those could have been some space to have additional storage or laundry rooms or just an additional set of emergency stairs

    • @global2829
      @global2829 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      NYC has limits on the usable square footage that each lot can have. By removing it from the core of the building, they can legally add it elsewhere. The video didn't really explain this.

    • @tjbellah349
      @tjbellah349 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      @@global2829 bro I never knew that, thank you for a genuinely informed and intelligent response.

  • @Masada1911
    @Masada1911 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +181

    Great news. There are so many people needing luxury appartements nowadays.

    • @peterkkk849
      @peterkkk849 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +16

      Government can relocate all the homeless people and drug dealers into these apartments with taxpayers’ money, government get more votes from drug dealers, they win, apartment building get paid by the government, it’s a win win, only loser is the middle class taxpayers here😂

    • @Brian-uc5vj
      @Brian-uc5vj 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

      This, but unironically

    • @holycrapchris
      @holycrapchris 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +42

      This is in the financial district where there aren't many housing options. A lot of Wall St. workers would exchange their Jersey apartment + train ride for one of these units within walking distance to the office. Thus freeing up an apartment in Jersey.

    • @jmlinden7
      @jmlinden7 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      There actually are. There's a massive shortage of luxury apartments in NYC.

    • @PabloM201
      @PabloM201 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      ​@@jmlinden7 #firstworldproblems

  • @fredflintstone2234
    @fredflintstone2234 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I live in an apartment that faces only an interior courtyard. I get minimal sunlight. Bad for mental health. ESP. In nyc.

  • @JuliasCesar
    @JuliasCesar 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    HEY NEW YORK THIS IS A MSG FROM THE SECOND MOST EXPENSIVE CITY IN THE WORLD VANCOUVER CANADA. Surprisingly enough our housing crisis are quite similar as it seems like multi million rental corporations and slumlords are now controlling most to all rental housing stock. New apartments are labelled “LUXURY RENTALS” or “STARTING FROM LOW 700,000 CONDOS”. What’s funny is both our cities government are quite Democratic for you folks or Liberal in Canadian terminology. The developers get incentives in Vancouver to build affordable homes but they come with so many segregated systems built in place. Separate doors or as Vancouver calls it “Poor Doors” for the regular folk renting and Luxury entrances for the rich and elitists. Condo units are shrinking and prices are now at or close to the Million dollar mark with nothing seeming to give way. I know many friends and family members I grew up with who have moved further out taking long commutes on the Metro Skytrain system to get to work. It’s a shame both our cities are heading in this downward spiral where the elite win and the working class are shoved aside. The housing market is bound to burst at some point. We just gotta hold on until then!

  • @RealMattHaney
    @RealMattHaney 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    But is 600sqft for $3500/mo affordable?? What about making a bigger courtyard or larger units that are able to fit a family?

  • @mikelCold
    @mikelCold 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    This is a puff piece, the building next to this one was converted from office to housing back in 2009.

  • @Austin101123
    @Austin101123 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    You could also make something bigger than 600ft studio/1bd apartments. 1500ft apartments could probably manage rooms and windows well enough still without carving out the center. And of course elevators and main hallways should be in the center too.
    You can also make the building mixed use, at least the first floor be retail as is common.

    • @FullLengthInterstates
      @FullLengthInterstates 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      A trade that cities should try to encourage, is for the easiest conversion - for converted offices to be all giant luxury units. In exchange, the developer subsidizes smaller apartments in neighboring buildings as affordable housing

    • @azrrrrrrrr
      @azrrrrrrrr 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      yeah but then you are losing like 90% of ppl interested in thos appartments cause only the richest 10% can affor appartment that big

  • @MaximGhost
    @MaximGhost 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    That's cool and all ... but, doesn't explain why there is so much empty office space in the first place. What happens when businesses decide to move back into Manhattan?

  • @haighter5115
    @haighter5115 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +23

    Hilarious. The revolutionary idea that enabled this conversion - adding light wells - is just an old innovation repackaged. I live in a 1910s building that was built before widespread electric lights and fire safety. There were several apartments in the middle of the building that had no exterior windows, but they each had access to an interior light well.

    • @serafinacosta7118
      @serafinacosta7118 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Older building featured light wells, higher ceiling clearances , larger window frames, whose panes opened up.
      Newer office buildings have either a C plate or a core shaft plate.
      As for fire safety , older buildings have wider emergency staircases within. Newer buildings have chamber staircases.
      Night and day.

    • @paxundpeace9970
      @paxundpeace9970 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      light wells in a old stone building is one
      lightwells with concret floors and steal beams are much more difficult

    • @user-pf5xq3lq8i
      @user-pf5xq3lq8i 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Exactly, the structural loads are shared in modern buildings, they can't just hack out the core without incredible complexity. It makes zero financial sense. I'm sorry, but these buildings are useless. Either knock them down, or have very very low cost office space. Greedy landlords and banks want the taxpayer to bail out their poor investment decision. No sir, not again. This isn't 2008, we won't let you use taxpayers money. Corruption.

    • @julialane6645
      @julialane6645 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      A fire Hazard.

    • @serafinacosta7118
      @serafinacosta7118 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@julialane6645 please elaborate Juliana. Thanks.

  • @user-ob5rg6ne6l
    @user-ob5rg6ne6l 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks for sharing ❤

  • @marsenpai9078
    @marsenpai9078 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Excellent video, thank you

  • @lephtovermeet
    @lephtovermeet 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    Luxury has become one of those words like communist or diversity or conservative, a word that has no meaning anymore. But NYC has no shortage of "luxury" apartments - there's tons of empty units. Theres a massive shortage of affordable units that regular working people could afford.

  • @numericalcode
    @numericalcode 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Maybe all the rooms in the apartment don’t have to be connected? You could put living spaces on the outside of the building and with the same key access private offices and media rooms inside.

  • @MiddleAgedMillenial
    @MiddleAgedMillenial 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    Really hoping the window well isn’t their only window 🤞🏻

  • @abyszero8620
    @abyszero8620 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    Glad they're adding housing. Can we PLEASE stop misusing the word "affordable" though? Call it what it is... subsidized.

    • @poppinc8145
      @poppinc8145 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      If there's regulation that say X percentages of units need to be below a certain price, then that isn't subsidization, just quota.

    • @abyszero8620
      @abyszero8620 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@poppinc8145 is that what they're doing though?

  • @serafinacosta7118
    @serafinacosta7118 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Light shafts come way short of a courtyard building such as you have uptown.
    It is meant to allow for air circulation and some dim lighting , at best.
    Now, if you have a core shafted building with a large floor plate ( a typical floor plan in a large corporate tenancy type of building ) , you can even parse your units throughout the building perimeter, by keeping the elevator hallways in a concentric inner ring shape and scatter your units throughout the outer perimeter of the building.
    On the video they explain how a C- Plate would be impractical for these type of projects. For the neophytes here, a C-plate is a floor plan that has three out of four exposed perimeters with office windows , whereas the fourth leg of the perimeter is only used to the stairwell , elevator shafts.
    Using a corporate lease tenancy building , this is the range of 2,000 to 4,600 sf.
    A core shafted floor plate has a larger floor footage , usually around 5,000 plus sf , and elevators , stairwell , and no hallways ( except for a cut through at the elevators , if that many ) , all fit into the center core of the building.
    In both cases , on office usage , the riser cables , heavy duty plumbing ( including fire ) is around the shaft.

    • @user-pf5xq3lq8i
      @user-pf5xq3lq8i 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Retrofitting that where it wasn't designed is so expensive, you may as well build it on an empty lot. I'm sorry but removing an unwanted building is fantasy economics, and can only exist if the taxpayers bails out the billionaire building owners. I'm not paying to bail out a banks investment..not again after 2008, no sir.

    • @azrrrrrrrr
      @azrrrrrrrr 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      well i agree with you about natural lighting but as someone that spends most of my day outside the apartment i wouldnt mind having no natural light/windows as long as my rent is reasonable considering no windows

  • @mamascookin
    @mamascookin 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

    Obviously we just need more dynamic zoning laws

    • @mohammedsarker5756
      @mohammedsarker5756 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      or just get rid of a lot of them period. Having strenuous zoning in urban areas BEGS for all kinds of problems to occur

  • @LMays-cu2hp
    @LMays-cu2hp 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you for sharing.

  • @ssj4deva
    @ssj4deva 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    $300-500 Per Square foot Just for the Hard Cost, Excluding the price of Land, Rezoning, Permitting, Financing, Architectural Plans, etc..etc.. Here in San Antonio Brand New Construction on Multifamily Class A is at most $120 Per Square Foot. Building it out of ICF Concrete Walls and Steel Everywehere instead of Wood Frame still puts you at $145-150 PSF. Can't imagine many are going to go for it with interst rates where they are now and the average person making $60-90k per year.

  • @leaf16nut
    @leaf16nut 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    3:27
    Who'd want to live there? I'd say just about ANYBODY living on the street would rather live in the middle of a building with no windows than in freezing winter temperatures above a manhole.. 🤦‍♂

  • @woodmax1
    @woodmax1 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Just what the world needs - more high end apartments !!! Don't worry about the 99% of people that can't afford housing.

  • @MateusChristopher
    @MateusChristopher 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Kinda funny to carve out a well in the middle of a building - I dunno if I'd want that window anymore. 😅 Tho the charm of the pre-1900s buildings are undeniable. I really hope those can be converted

  • @jaseyrae7943
    @jaseyrae7943 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    We don’t need more “luxury” apartments. We need more affordable housing in NYC!!! Rent is out of control and is only getting worse. You could build an entire community in these buildings, not just a place for the rich and elite

  • @anthonypan205
    @anthonypan205 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Glad to see that MSM and local politicians are now past the acceptance stage of remote work. No, I am not spending 1 or 2 hours on a commute so some CEO can talk about their "team culture" on a private resort after their golf tournament (I mean customer prospecting)

  • @tyrel7185
    @tyrel7185 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Nice concept.

  • @user-lu1ex3be4w
    @user-lu1ex3be4w 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Zoning laws in general are a huge issue. They should be completely abolished. Minimize the regulatory gridlock. Also, affordable housing is a problem too.

  • @lazygardens
    @lazygardens 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Cities need AFFORDABLE housing, not more posh condos. Without affordable housing, none of the waiters, cleaning staff or other services the posh condo dwellers expect to have on hand will be there.

  • @siriusjones956
    @siriusjones956 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    This is not cheap but at least the office is being used. People need to realize that as things get more expensive in NYC, more people have to move.

  • @ibookje
    @ibookje 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    This type of re-development will never be easy. Tried them in the early 2010s. Very high construction costs, price to acquire the office buildings are way too high and due to the overal costs the price of the apartments are sky high. Basically a very risky venture

  • @DJRenee
    @DJRenee 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is so interesting.

  • @cherylcarlson3315
    @cherylcarlson3315 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    love reuse of buildings. Courtyard creation seems a lot like a chimney that could really escalate fires. I think on interior cabins of cruise ships they have tv screen that shows the video of outside, somehow think would be so much cooler to be living on 3rd floor facing a brick wall but have faux window that lets you have penthouse view continually.

  • @CHMichael
    @CHMichael 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    Apartments in the business district. ... oh nooo. Can't have people being able to walk to work.
    Why not have mixed use with apartments on the outside of retail in the core.

    • @melissaharris3389
      @melissaharris3389 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I was thinking retail on street level, 2 to 3 floors of office space near street level, a level with the building amenities (gym, party rooms, etc) and the apartments above; away from street noise. Multiple use zoning for higher density urbanization. Put on a green roof to help with rain runoff and heat island effect.

  • @na976
    @na976 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Yes thank you WSJ, New York was really running short on high end over-priced real estate.

    • @mrparts
      @mrparts 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It is. That’s why the rents are so high. People aren’t paying 3k a month for a tiny studio because they like it. They’re only paying it because it’s the ongoing price due to the scarcity of housing.

    • @na976
      @na976 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@mrparts and everybody knows that building 6k/month apartments helps lower the rent on 3k/month studios! Landlord all over the city will see the surplus of high end real estate and lower prices. It’s just how it works!

    • @mrparts
      @mrparts 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@na976 lol you’re joking, but yes. Your 3k a month rental didn’t start at that price. It was a $300 a month studio back in 1990 that struggled to keep tenants. But because nothing was ever built since then, the landlord was able to raise prices with impunity for decades.

    • @legitplayin6977
      @legitplayin6977 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@mrpartsMaybe they should introduce rent controls then

  • @Semper_Iratus
    @Semper_Iratus 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    Homelessness goes high rise.

  • @ronjr831
    @ronjr831 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Really interesting show. Maybe office real estate is not dead after all. Thanks

  • @awolowiecki720
    @awolowiecki720 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    this is cool, I hope it continues, and that previously business heavy districts become more inhabited and liveable

  • @felixthecat2786
    @felixthecat2786 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I wish they would do this in Boston

  • @kate2create738
    @kate2create738 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    It makes sense, with the advance of technology and the lockdowns, more jobs are finally available at home. With the issue of being behind of providing enough homes, this is a great alternative. The country also probably still needs small commercial buildings for shops and restaurants, so hopefully that is kept in mind of these designs too. The issue with the American planning in these infrastructures is that they largely separate and divide regions that has backfired in planning some of these cities. It’s one thing if there is zoning for a quiet neighborhood, but not everyone has a family and are wanting to have an easier community to certain areas. From the office’s perspective it might be cheaper to have employees work from home than to rent out big spaces with bills for electric and other utilities.

  • @OptimizeWithRajan
    @OptimizeWithRajan 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    What’s the total cost for renovation of the building? What are they projecting rents to be?

  • @hbarudi
    @hbarudi 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    This is good, but rent prices from $3500 is not in the affordable range. They need to get the price down to $1000 to be remotely considered affordable...

  • @anandvk7097
    @anandvk7097 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Cool video! Id like to add that there are other investment options in businesses like cannafarm ltd as well.

  • @stefanstrebl3811
    @stefanstrebl3811 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What program can be used to do an animation as in 2:45?

  • @SouthCountyDreaming
    @SouthCountyDreaming 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    I wonder if you could use them to make giant shelters because the main bathrooms would be communal in the center and you’d have tons of space to put wrap around services.

    • @episdosas9949
      @episdosas9949 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      of course they could but they want luxury profits. not to house people with no money.

    • @mohammedsarker5756
      @mohammedsarker5756 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@episdosas9949 I mean that land and those buildings cost a lot of money, it doesn't make sense using these as homeless shelters cus you'd be burning so much money per resident on the overhead costs. I'd rather just build cheaper housing for poorer people so that every dollar allocated goes further.

    • @episdosas9949
      @episdosas9949 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@mohammedsarker5756 office spaces are cheap. they are basic. just like a homeless shelter. luxury condos would have to pour in alot of money to convert. its the same arguement developers use to say that theres no money in building affordabke housing. yeah, thats the point. housing shouldnt be about profits. the can sell luxury goods to rich people if they want to make money.

  • @andyy6481
    @andyy6481 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    people would live in a center box area with no windows as long as it is cheap, so just make them cheap for rental.

  • @check25bid
    @check25bid 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Corporations and the government don't want things to quick and efficient so that they can get more money.

  • @mack-uv6gn
    @mack-uv6gn 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I really don’t see affordable housing in some areas where there are empty office space.

  • @gregnulik1975
    @gregnulik1975 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Well , maybe as people move into converted office buildings , the apts they previously lived in will be bulldozed in favor of constructing similarly larger apt buildings ?

  • @coolbluereview
    @coolbluereview 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Why not just reserve the windowless sections for office space instead of making the entire building a residential one.

    • @serafinacosta7118
      @serafinacosta7118 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Because office workers don’t want to work under a dungeon without natural light.
      Hence the term Corner Office being a perk.

    • @gjsoriano1
      @gjsoriano1 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Moreover, the added foot traffic using the elevators and lobby would create unwanted noise and security issues for the residents.

    • @serafinacosta7118
      @serafinacosta7118 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@gjsoriano1 well , Lobby is common space. Office crowds in and out flows are controlled by turnstile and elevators badges, FOB cards, or finger print scan. Not something residential or lodging dwellers want to be imposed upon. Hence the lobby segregation.
      As for the mix lodging and residential , it is a perfectly adaptable environment. You add personnel. One desk exclusively for the residential concierge , and your check in counter for lodging guests.
      Most residential dwellers won’t be fazed by the added lobby traffic, which won’t be that considerable on extended stay.
      Further segregation, beyond floor stacks , can be accomplished by pre assigned elevator cars with some kind of digital readout ( key code , finger print , FOB ).
      People who rather have an exclusive lobby can go elsewhere at a higher rental rate.
      A flexible lodging and residential can improve cash flow , a plus when tenancy rates might not be at best.

  • @alextrevelian
    @alextrevelian 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I’d love to live in one of these flats, for a couple 3.5k sounds reasonable. And the sale price is about 650k, also not a crazy sum for the financial district.

  • @TokyoTaisu
    @TokyoTaisu 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    We ran the business case for this in Japan but offices are strangely enough so much higher valued it doesn't make any sense money wise.

    • @FullLengthInterstates
      @FullLengthInterstates 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Not enough residential units near the CBD is how a walkable city with world leading transit ends up with 50 minute commutes.

  • @DJRenee
    @DJRenee 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I hate buildings with windows that don't open. I avoid them like the plague.

  • @dannylo5875
    @dannylo5875 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Still wouldn't want to have an issue by renting there in the first place if they can raise rates in at any time. What is an issue is that if all services workers need or are automated. You then get serfs and not clients.

  • @wc4109
    @wc4109 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Office conversion “not simple or cheap” but still cheaper than tear down a large building, and rebuild a brand new building…

  • @kharithoughts2679
    @kharithoughts2679 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    To allow more office-to-residential conversions. Why don't they do a partial conversion? If a property is too deep to give the interior light, why don't they convert the outer areas towards the windows to residential and then make the inner areas commercial? All commercial offices don't need windows, especially if the offices are more affordable. Then, more buildings will qualify for conversion, and it might even be cheaper than hollowing out the inside of a skyscraper or doing other drastic measures.

  • @hisham1101
    @hisham1101 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    they've been converting malls into apartments, too. It's really interesting

  • @bobbyaxelrod5959
    @bobbyaxelrod5959 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Stop throwing the term luxury in every apartment building!!! They’re not luxurious, and do not demand a luxury price tag.

  • @poppinc8145
    @poppinc8145 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Why is the audio for the guest speakers so muffled???

  • @jnakhoul
    @jnakhoul 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    How about regular old affordable housing

  • @willardchi2571
    @willardchi2571 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    If Cities could increase the supply of quality affordable living spaces for office employees, it might incentivize more of them to return to working and living in the city. I bet many workers who moved out of cities into stand-alone homes are finding suburban and rural home ownership to have its own set of expensive burdens, especially if they were one of the panic buyers who bought some old money pit.

  • @willardchi2571
    @willardchi2571 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What about making it difficult or impossible for domestic and foreign investors to buy up these new apartments and then just sit on them?

  • @kingzts
    @kingzts 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    this might be the answer but with banks not lending how are building owners going to finance this retrofit???? Still a long way to go

  • @blackvikingeire
    @blackvikingeire 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Sound isolation might be nonexistent with these types of solutions.

  • @mikestanmore2614
    @mikestanmore2614 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    There'll be a point where they balance the return on residential property with the tax write-off of the loss of the building. We're not talking about conventional individual landlords here.

  • @ivanivanov6429
    @ivanivanov6429 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Мне кажется, что в середине можно не дырку сверлить, а сделать общественные пространства: где-то магазин, где-то спорт-зал, салон.

  • @yzzxxvv
    @yzzxxvv 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Need of the day

  • @kw2519
    @kw2519 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    So make the apartments deeper in the newer buildings.

  • @dormstories
    @dormstories 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Kommunalkas can be easily made from office space, with shared bathrooms and kitchens. And pictures of comrade Stalin.

  • @NicksDynasty
    @NicksDynasty 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Can we convert malls?

  • @imacuser101
    @imacuser101 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I think we are forgetting more supply with equal demand means cheaper prices

  • @jus3278
    @jus3278 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The hope is to really make the housing affordable but even having so called "luxury" apartments at overpriced rates will play a part in decreasing the cost of living collectively, because it will lower demand with more options for living.

  • @1525boy
    @1525boy 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Most of the office buildings in places like New York cannot be converted to apartments. It’s simply not feasible.

  • @shimes424
    @shimes424 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Luxury housing?! We need affordable housing, not another real estate bubble! 😡

  • @kareemevan9830
    @kareemevan9830 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Why do we need another Luxury Rental Building in NYC

  • @UncleChopChop22
    @UncleChopChop22 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Try making them a decent size. 600sqft is tiny.

  • @episdosas9949
    @episdosas9949 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    being out of touch. like manhattan needs more luxury apartments. might as well turn office space into more office space.

  • @time2fly2124
    @time2fly2124 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    sure, its more housing in a city, but lets face it.. these kinds of projects aren't going to be affordable apartments in downtown Manhattan for every day people, they are going to be pricey luxury apartments that the everyday person who just needs a place to live. not exactly solving the housing crisis.

    • @randomprotag9329
      @randomprotag9329 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      its goes a way to do it. if an area has not enough higher end housing poeple who would have got higher end dont have the option. if they have option the demand for lower end decreases as the higher end can get higher end.

  • @itscarolina837
    @itscarolina837 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    i like the idea but i wish we stopped converting spaces into luxury housing. so few of new yorks population can afford to rent in those places.

  • @rahoolv
    @rahoolv 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Does this mean there will not be any significant increase in demand for office space in the near future, even after considering back-to-office shifts happening?

  • @agika222
    @agika222 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    And who would want to live in a studio which looks out to the light shaft? Especially on lower floors…

  • @Furious_Dihan
    @Furious_Dihan 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    There is no alternative towards solving the housing crisis other than mixed zoning. "Mixed Zoning" is the only way forward for housing.

  • @prairiepatriot2162
    @prairiepatriot2162 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    How would you like to pay $7,500/mo just to live next to an "affordable housing" (Section 8) tenant?

  • @yoyoliang
    @yoyoliang 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    still far away from affordable housing, but it is what it is...

  • @Fellowtellurian
    @Fellowtellurian 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    The average price per square foot of DC housing is $530. Remember that these people and companies that built these buildings usually have an ROI of 5 years so the offices that are there now are already paid down and all income the used to get from the office tenants went to operations and maintenance and the rest was profit. So these building owners can and should take on additional costs to update them because they shouldn't have the rights to just rake in pure profits on assets already paid off. And before you go all "service economy" argument on me, that isn't how housing should work. Housing shouldn't be a service because at the end of the day everyone needs a home.

    • @danielmankinde1706
      @danielmankinde1706 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      how do you know if its already paid off or not ? a lot of them have a ton of debt on those and some have adjustable rates

    • @SinkLikeStone
      @SinkLikeStone 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Lesser rent leads to decrease in the value of the building. I guess no one wants to see their asset devalued.

    • @danielmankinde1706
      @danielmankinde1706 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Even if it was paid off . Who funds the cost to renovate ?

    • @BikeHelmetMk2
      @BikeHelmetMk2 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Most office buildings were pushing 5% cap rates before the COVID and work from home ate the floor out from under them. A lot of landlords were using interest only mortgages, and relying on capital appreciation of the buildings to fund their endeavours. 5% cap rate is closer to 20 years instead... and now they're all underwater. I suspect that many are just hoping to survive until rates go down, and then they might fetch higher values.

  • @kw2519
    @kw2519 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Why doesn’t the city incentivize developers to make even more affordable units?

  • @YouMakeItHappen
    @YouMakeItHappen 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Lol, what the heck is a 600sq ft apt?! 3:43

    • @myoldvhstapes
      @myoldvhstapes 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      An apartment with 600 square feet of floor space.