So the basic problem is that basic building design is a major stumbling block here. (I learned this from listening to the Odd Lots podcast cited below when it c

So the basic problem is that basic building design is a major stumbling block here. (I learned this from listening to the Odd Lots podcast cited below when it came out, so this is all from memory.) Modern offices are designed to be big open warehouses, trying to maximize the number of desks you can fit into a space. Big square footprint with central core for restrooms, stairs and elevators has been the dominant paradigm here because it maximizes the number of desks you can fit into a given lot. But apartments want perimeter, everyone wants windows and massively more plumbing necessary to give every apartment its own bathroom. So big square footprint isn't how you want your apartment building to be- that floorspace in the middle isn't worth much. The developer they interviewed had actually ripped the center out of a building to create a big open glassed-in courtyard in one of their buildings, to give them an outer and inner ring of apartments which all had some light. But that requires a lot of work and a lot of staring at structural blueprints to make sure that it won't fall apart.