In a recent Hartford Business Journal article, Amenta Emma Architects Principal Myles Brown highlighted the firm’s increasing involvement in office-to-residential conversion projects, noting they now conduct “more than a half-dozen” conversion studies annually.
Brown explained that while vacant office buildings have always existed, there has been a notable increase in conversion opportunities since the pandemic. These studies are comprehensive, examining multiple factors including apartment yield potential, conversion costs, local land-use regulations, and available government funding programs.
The article also discusses specific requirements for successful office conversions. According to Brown, buildings typically need to be at least 50,000 to 60,000 square feet to be eligible for conversion, though extremely large buildings with deep floor plates present unique challenges due to apartment window access requirements.
This insight comes amid a broader national trend of office conversions, with CBRE reporting record numbers of such projects in 2024 and projecting even more activity in 2025.
Read the full article here.
