Office conversions could create 53,000 homes in Netherlands: study

Converting empty offices into homes could create 53,000 extra homes in the Netherlands. Real estate data firm Matrixian reported this after conducting research into the matter. They examined the vacancy of office spaces and associated zoning plans. According to Matrixian, transforming vacant offices can help solve the housing shortage.

Matrixian claims that over 36 percent of the empty offices, or around 53,000, are located in areas where the main destination allows residential living. The total surface area of these offices is 167 square kilometers, which corresponds to almost 0.4 percent of the total land area of ​​the Netherlands. Large cities such as Amsterdam have the largest concentration of office spaces.

“This shows how much potential there is for repurposing offices into living areas,” said data project leader Thijs Herwig of Matrixian. If all these offices were transformed into homes, 53 square meters would be freed, which could help house more than 39,000 people, according to the researcher.

“Although it is not realistic to transform all these offices, this does show the potential and which role transformations can play in the housing shortage.”

In June, real estate advisor Colliers reported that more than 60,000 homes could be created by converting unwanted office space on the edges of cities and along highways. According to Colliers, the most significant profit can be made in Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland.