SINCE the Covid-19 pandemic began, more companies have offered remote work options for their employees or have even switched to working entirely remotely, leaving empty office buildings a new fixture in many cities. In July 2023, Boston's Planning and Development Agency announced a pilot program to offer incentives to building developers who convert office buildings to residential housing.

As engineers who study buildings, we wanted to know if these empty spaces could be converted to residential buildings, and what hurdles developers would face.