VANCOUVER – Kay Matthews doesn’t mince words when asked about the state of businesses fighting to survive in downtown cores across Ontario. “We’re struggling,” said Matth...
Generally it’s more of a problem for the big glass and steel skyscrapers. Smaller office buildings (ie built before fluorescent lights became a thing) are easier to convert because they were built with similar requirements to a residential building.
How about converting glass/steel skyscrapers to malls or department stores (esp. for higher cost goods that are best not to have at street level), while converting many of the smaller office spaces that can qualify into housing? Most of the stores from space-wasting ground-level shopping malls could relocate into these spaces, for the most part. That said, parking areas (or a large part of them) would have to be converted to loading areas I suppose, so stores would have to offer delivery for larger purchases.
Generally it’s more of a problem for the big glass and steel skyscrapers. Smaller office buildings (ie built before fluorescent lights became a thing) are easier to convert because they were built with similar requirements to a residential building.
How about converting glass/steel skyscrapers to malls or department stores (esp. for higher cost goods that are best not to have at street level), while converting many of the smaller office spaces that can qualify into housing? Most of the stores from space-wasting ground-level shopping malls could relocate into these spaces, for the most part. That said, parking areas (or a large part of them) would have to be converted to loading areas I suppose, so stores would have to offer delivery for larger purchases.