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Something that I've always wondered in relation to city design is why it isn't standard for high-rise buildings to be 50% office space and 50% living space. It

Something that I've always wondered in relation to city design is why it isn't standard for high-rise buildings to be 50% office space and 50% living space. It's one of those things where I assume there must be a good reason why it isn't done, but I've never been able to find one. It seems like such a huge waste of human resources to force people to commute for hours each day, spending money, wasting gas, lost productivity etc. Zoning regulations that separated hazardous or noisy manufacturing from housing make sense, but for office work, I can't see why there is a need to keep it separate.

snuxoll 10y ago
Some of this could be alleviated by just eliminating offices where possible. The entire team of software developers I work with is 100% remote, in fact, the vast majority of our production workers (billers and medical coders) is also remote. It's a huge benefit to both the employees and the company, no more commute and the ability to spend time with your family on your breaks, and the company doesn't waste money on office space that isn't even being used 50% of the day. I understand there are still times where an office is necessary, and in fact we are looking at getting one here in Boise where the majority of our team is located, but it's more of a small space for meetings, holding our lab gear, etc.
twelvechairs 10y ago
A few core reasons (im an urban designer and deal with this sort of thing fairly regularly) Residential and modern office typically have very different floorplate requirements. So often dont sit comforatably over each other. Mixing residential and commercial tends to make building operation an issue - who pays or chooses what to spend on when there are building wide issues (leaks, structure, lifts, noise complaints, etc)? What happens when the office owner wants a complete refurb? Office owners traditionally have liked to retain ownership to allow demolition and reconstruction in after 40 years or so. Many high grade offices tend to be picky and not like looking out the window at peoples laundry in the opposite building. Nor have the lobby of low cost apartment housing in the side of the same building. Adding more levels isnt always an economic thing to do for developers since time in construction (and hence time the developer has borrowed money but not recieved payments) is a key issue. At a strategic level often true 'office cores' can be constrained and need to be protected from erosion.

snuxoll 10y ago

Some of this could be alleviated by just eliminating offices where possible. The entire team of software developers I work with is 100% remote, in fact, the vast majority of our production workers (billers and medical coders) is also remote. It's a huge benefit to both the employees and the company, no more commute and the ability to spend time with your family on your breaks, and the company doesn't waste money on office space that isn't even being used 50% of the day. I understand there are still times where an office is necessary, and in fact we are looking at getting one here in Boise where the majority of our team is located, but it's more of a small space for meetings, holding our lab gear, etc.

twelvechairs 10y ago

A few core reasons (im an urban designer and deal with this sort of thing fairly regularly) Residential and modern office typically have very different floorplate requirements. So often dont sit comforatably over each other. Mixing residential and commercial tends to make building operation an issue - who pays or chooses what to spend on when there are building wide issues (leaks, structure, lifts, noise complaints, etc)? What happens when the office owner wants a complete refurb? Office owners traditionally have liked to retain ownership to allow demolition and reconstruction in after 40 years or so. Many high grade offices tend to be picky and not like looking out the window at peoples laundry in the opposite building. Nor have the lobby of low cost apartment housing in the side of the same building. Adding more levels isnt always an economic thing to do for developers since time in construction (and hence time the developer has borrowed money but not recieved payments) is a key issue. At a strategic level often true 'office cores' can be constrained and need to be protected from erosion.