A recent article in The Globe & Mail relies on the expertise of architectural and urban planning experts, including Prof. Dawn Parker, to understand how unused office space could be transformed into residential housing.
The article examines the pros and cons of the proposed conversion of federal office buildings into residential dwellings, such as apartments. A top architectural firm estimates that up to 45% of federal office space could be converted.
The conversion offers the opportunity to increase the availability of housing at a time when the country is seeing a housing crisis. Additionally, as Dawn Parker points out, converting existing buildings offers a more environmental approach to residential development. Dawn and the RISE team are currently exploring how to assess carbon footprints of residential neighbourhoods through the development of the RISE Scorecard, a tool that could also be used in instances where buildings are retrofitted.