STO Building Group’s Post

Transcript

What are some common design challenges that office to residential conversions face? Are their solutions from a design perspective? The first thing I look at are the windows. The back of the building needs legal light and air in New York, which requires a certain amount of depth between the window and the rear lot line. If this isn't sufficient, then we consider modifying the affected floor plates to create the space we need. The other aspect to consider is operability. Windows need to open in residential buildings. An office building with a fixed curtain wall facade typically doesn't open. So we work with our design partners to modify the facade to be both operable and energy code compliant. Those are some of the primary challenges in the conversion project. Luckily, we have solutions to these issues.