3 ms·

Floorplate depth is usually the big issue. Residential generally doesn't like being much deeper than around 20m/65ft. Most tall office buildings built after the

Floorplate depth is usually the big issue. Residential generally doesn't like being much deeper than around 20m/65ft. Most tall office buildings built after the 70s or 80s will be deeper and maybe impossible to design into comfortable residences. Services is the other big one. Many more rooms needing hot and cold water and wastewater connections, more AC outlets and customisation, etc. Even if you have the space to do so (as office floor to floor heights are typically higher than residential). Plus remodelling facades to give more residential style windows etc. And does your basement have enough space for the cars residents will demand? Its an expensive business to add this all in and sometimes may be cheaper to just knock it down and start afresh.

7952 4y ago
What do you mean by floor plate depth?
- bobthepanda 4y ago
  How deep/wide a building is. Residential buildings tend to be a donut hole shape or an H to keep distances to windows about 20m. Office buildings are usually big, deep squares or rectangles.
  - ajsnigrutin 4y ago
    yep, plus many countries regulate what can be called a "room", and most "rooms" need to have a window, so this means either huge rooms (so they can have windows and go deep inside the building to use the space), or the rooms in the central part of the buildings used for non-livin rooms (eg, storage).
    - jaclaz 4y ago
      It surely depends on the country, but it is not like "a window" is enough, usually construction codes ask for "windowed surface" being not less than 1/8 or 1/12 of the area of the room (so you cannot make bigger than this limit), in order to classify the room as "suitable to permanent stay of people", in practice - as you say - all the rest becomes "non-living", storage, or window-sless (mechanically ventilated) bathrooms.
      - bobthepanda 4y ago
        Also many cities require a window to open into a void of a minimum size, so a window can’t just open into the next door building’s wall
dan-robertson 4y ago
I think these are big reasons. Offices built longer ago (if the buildings are still around) designed to let in lots of natural light can be good for this type of conversion as the floorplates tend to not be so deep. And having higher floors can be good too as people often like that. Another thing is that offices can have worse sound insulation.
dredmorbius 4y ago
This particular building seems to have a triangular floorplan. Seems ... awkward to adapt to residential. Or even as offices. Google Maps / Satellite: <https://www.google.com/maps/place/Energy+Plaza,+1601+Bryan+St,+Dallas,+TX+75201/@32.7833683,-96.7994468,318m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x864e99226a626c2b:0x278536d8999bad36!8m2!3d32.7831926!4d-96.7991104?hl=en https://www.google.com/maps/place/Energy+Plaza,+1601+Bryan+S...>

7952 4y ago

What do you mean by floor plate depth?

bobthepanda 4y ago
How deep/wide a building is. Residential buildings tend to be a donut hole shape or an H to keep distances to windows about 20m. Office buildings are usually big, deep squares or rectangles.
- ajsnigrutin 4y ago
  yep, plus many countries regulate what can be called a "room", and most "rooms" need to have a window, so this means either huge rooms (so they can have windows and go deep inside the building to use the space), or the rooms in the central part of the buildings used for non-livin rooms (eg, storage).
  - jaclaz 4y ago
    It surely depends on the country, but it is not like "a window" is enough, usually construction codes ask for "windowed surface" being not less than 1/8 or 1/12 of the area of the room (so you cannot make bigger than this limit), in order to classify the room as "suitable to permanent stay of people", in practice - as you say - all the rest becomes "non-living", storage, or window-sless (mechanically ventilated) bathrooms.
    - bobthepanda 4y ago
      Also many cities require a window to open into a void of a minimum size, so a window can’t just open into the next door building’s wall

dan-robertson 4y ago

I think these are big reasons. Offices built longer ago (if the buildings are still around) designed to let in lots of natural light can be good for this type of conversion as the floorplates tend to not be so deep. And having higher floors can be good too as people often like that. Another thing is that offices can have worse sound insulation.

dredmorbius 4y ago

This particular building seems to have a triangular floorplan. Seems ... awkward to adapt to residential. Or even as offices. Google Maps / Satellite: <https://www.google.com/maps/place/Energy+Plaza,+1601+Bryan+St,+Dallas,+TX+75201/@32.7833683,-96.7994468,318m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x864e99226a626c2b:0x278536d8999bad36!8m2!3d32.7831926!4d-96.7991104?hl=en https://www.google.com/maps/place/Energy+Plaza,+1601+Bryan+S...>