![]() Some building foundations can't handle the extra weight of additional floors. Not all buildings can accommodate a renovation like this. Rebuilding a skyscraper can get expensive ![]() "And we took some of the floor area that we eliminated, and we're building 10 stories on top of the building." "We created the hole in the doughnut to bring the light and air into the middle of the space," Cetra said. But first, sections of the center of the building, including excess elevators, are planned to be cut out, with new floors added. in the financial district - houses JPMorgan's offices and is set to have 1,300 apartments eventually. John Cetra, a Manhattan architect who has worked on office conversions since the 1980s, is leading the second-largest office-to-residential conversion project in Manhattan. Sometimes that lost floor space will be made up by adding several floors to the building. In some newer office buildings, architects will cut out a portion of the center of the building to create a courtyard or shaft for air and light. Key to the interior design in converted buildings is maximizing the amount of exterior wall per unit to get each home the most light and air possible. "A lot of older buildings that are U-shaped or E-shaped, or kind of smaller in floor plate are perfect candidates for conversion," Charles Bloszies, a San Francisco architect and structural engineer, told Insider.Ĭutting out the middle of skyscrapers to add more windows Newer buildings often have deeper floor plates and windows that don't open, which can make conversion tricky since residential buildings need light, air, and bathrooms all over. That's because buildings constructed before air conditioning generally have smaller floor plates, with building interiors no more than 25 or 30 feet from windows that can open. Older, prewar buildings are generally easier to turn into homes than newer skyscrapers. "If you start with the wrong building, you've got no chance. "If you get the right building, you can make a really great project out of it," he said. People in the industry call them "Goldilocks buildings." Of the 950 buildings he and his team have surveyed, just 30% are suitable for conversion. It takes into account building size, layout, location, and how updated its facade is. He and his team have developed an algorithm to determine which buildings are ripe for conversion. ![]() The most difficult part of the conversion process comes before any of the construction begins: selecting the buildings to convert, Paynter said. The first step is finding the right building Here's what it takes to turn an empty office skyscraper into much-needed housing. They said that turning a cubicle farm or conference room into a livable space involved addressing a host of issues, including inoperable, poorly insulated windows and the dark depths of a skyscraper's center. Insider spoke with four architects who'd tackled these projects. "A lot of people might not care that they get a ton of daylight into their bedroom if it means their rent is cheaper or they live a five-minute walk from work," Mark Hogan, a San Francisco architect who has advised the city government on policy reforms concerning office conversions, said.īut renovating old office buildings is no simple task. The renovated exterior of Franklin Tower, a 24-story former office building in downtown Philadelphia that now contains luxury residences.Īnd even in a worst-case scenario, where units are strangely laid out or dimly lit, there can still be unique benefits to living in an old office. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |