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AEC inspections are the key to financially viable office to residential adaptive reuse projects

About a year ago our industry was abuzz with an idea that seemed like a one-shot miracle cure for both the shockingly high rate of office vacancies and the worsening housing shortage. The seemingly simple idea of converting empty office buildings to multifamily residential seemed like an easy and elegant solution. However, in the intervening months we’ve seen only a handful of these conversions, despite near universal enthusiasm for the concept.

Adaptive Reuse

4 ways to transform old buildings into modern assets

As cities grow, their office inventories remain largely stagnant. Yet despite changes to the market—including the impact of hybrid work—opportunities still exist. Enter: “Midlife Metamorphosis.”

Mass Timber

5 hidden benefits of mass timber design

Mass timber is a materials and design approach that holds immense potential to transform the future of the commercial building industry, as well as our environment.

Office Buildings

HOK presents neurodiversity research and design guidelines at SXSW 2024

Workplace experts share insights on designing inclusive spaces that cater to diverse sensory processing needs.

Office Buildings

No longer marked by gray, uniform rows of cubicles, offices have become more personalized and employee-centric than ever, giving people a more comfortable place to spend their working hours. New approaches to office customization and the way employees interact are breathing new life into the workplace.

Aug 13, 2013

DPR's Phoenix office, designed by SmithGroupJJR, affirmed as world's largest ILFI-certified net-zero facility

The new Phoenix Regional Office of DPR Construction, designed by SmithGroupJJR, has been officially certified as a Net Zero Energy Building by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). It’s the largest building in the world to achieve Net Zero Energy Building Certification through the Institute to date.

Aug 8, 2013

Stanley Hardware introduces Flexi-Felt for protecting floors

Stanley Hardware offers a solution to the frustrating problem of protecting your floors. The answer is Flexi-Felt®, an innovative product line that eliminates the aggravation of frequently replacing felt pads and leg tips that usually wear down or fall off, causing damage to expensive floors.

Aug 8, 2013

New green property index could boost REIT investment in more sustainable properties

A project by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the FTSE Group, and the U.S. Green Building Council to jointly develop a Green Property Index could help REITs attract some of the growing pool of socially responsible investment money slated for green investments.

Aug 6, 2013

CoreNet: Office space per worker shrinks to 150 sf

The average amount of space per office worker globally has dropped to 150 square feet or less, from 225 square feet in 2010, according to a recent global survey conducted by CoreNet Global.

Jim Young | Aug 6, 2013

Australia’s first net zero office building features distinctive pixelated façade

Australia's first carbon neutral office building, featuring a distinctive pixelated façade, recently opened in Melbourne.

Steven Burns | Jul 30, 2013

In support of workplace chatter

As the designers of collaborative work environments, architects and engineers understand how open, transparent spaces can cultivate the casual interaction and knowledge sharing that sparks innovation. Now a new study reveals another potential benefit of open workplaces: social interaction that supports happier employees.

Ennead Architects led the renovation and expansion of facilities for the Yale Ar

Jul 29, 2013

2013 Giants 300 Report

The editors of Building Design+Construction magazine present the findings of the annual Giants 300 Report, which ranks the leading firms in the AEC industry.

Jul 25, 2013

3 office design strategies for creating happy, productive workers

Office spaces that promote focus, balance, and choice are the ones that will improve employee experience, enhance performance, and drive innovation, according to Gensler's 2013 U.S. Workplace Survey.

Gresham Smith | Jul 25, 2013

How can I help you?: The evolution of call center design

Call centers typically bring to mind an image of crowded rows of stressed-out employees who are usually receiving calls from people with a problem or placing calls to people that aren’t thrilled to hear from them. But the nature of the business is changing; telemarketing isn’t what it used to be.

Julie S. Higginbotham | Jul 23, 2013

Tell us how you're reimagining the medical office building

"Obamacare" implementation will add thousands of people to the ranks of the insured, including many who formerly sought primary care in emergency rooms. Now, these patients will have coverage that allows them to more easily access the typical treatment channels—and that means greater demand for services provided in medical office buildings.