COVID Left Offices Empty – What To Do Now?
The pandemic taught a lot of companies that we can still keep our businesses running from home. This led to a lot of companies shifting to remote based positions – and a lot of wasted office space. So, what is the next logical step and how do we get there? The current proposal is to use this opportunity to provide more multifamily housing with these spaces. What are the barriers and challenges associated? Let’s take a look.
Building Spacing & Restructuring
Fortunately with most of these buildings, the core structure can remain in tact. All builders would need to do is focus on adding and removing walls for tenants. Finishing elements like flooring, painting, and lighting would be easy as well. The fancier buildings with more advance structures will cost more to replace, but the work wouldn’t get much more difficult. That being said, it would still take a lot of overall effort to make the transition. Creating uniformity amongst the new rooms, remodeling windows are a few nuances that add challenge.
Electrical & Telecommunications
Businesses and multifamily units have different needs when it comes to electricity. Tenants need household appliances, whereas businesses need workhorse machines. Incorporating fire alarms, metering, and subpanels for these machines will get quite complicated. Internet and phone systems for each apartment can be done and wouldn’t be as complicated, but definitely time consuming.
HVAC
Now we get to the part that is our specialty – the heating & cooling. Multifamily homes need individual heating & cooling, and businesses don’t. Sure, each room of a business can have its own HVAC system, but office rooms are much larger. Offices run through a centralized control, but each tenant needs to be able to control their own space. Through zoning and variable units, making the transition becomes easier. Variable units give each smaller area control, and zoning lets each area receive individual cooling.
Cooking, laundry, and showering create extra moisture from tenants that businesses don’t. Although they have less HVAC load, using oversized AC units compounds the problem. The way to mitigate humidity is through extra exhaust fans. This will require extra ductwork remodeling, which the building owners would need to pay for.
Concluding Thoughts
Taking on a task like this definitely feels daunting, but not impossible. We do have a housing issue in our country to address. However, that topic is for another day and/or post. It would be a great push towards modernization of the work force. Current times are not like they were in the 90s, and technology has made many elements of life simpler for a lot of us. Given all of the little nuances needed to turn these buildings into living quarters, it is doable. Companies will have to step up to the plate and take the initiative to get it rolling, but we look forward to the change.