ADAPTIVE REUSE: SHOULD WE CONVERT EMPTY OFFICES TO ADDRESS HOUSING SHORTAGES?

By JEFFREY GIBBS

During the pandemic, lockdown and isolation protocols left many offce towers vacant. Today offce occupancy levels remain at unprecedented lows with hybrid working arrangements the norm across diverse industries.

We live in a world where population growth is outstripping housing supply, adaptive reuse of offce buildings as residential apartments is becoming increasingly attractive. The potential to reduce the carbon intensity of construction and revitalise urban centres is appealing, however in practice offce-toresidential conversions come with design and equity challenges.

According to Associate Professor Philip Oldfeld from UNSW’s School of Built Environment, the

Reduction Sale

‘Bindaree’ 301 Steinbrook Road Tenter eld Saturday 6th May 2023 @ 9am

UN-Habitat estimates that 3 billion people will need access to adequate housing by 2030, with demand for 96,000 new homes every day. This creates a moral responsibility to build to improve people’s lives, however buildings are responsible for 37 per cent of energyrelated greenhouse gas emissions. The 15-minute city model, where many of your daily needs are just a

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Inspection: Friday 5th May 2022 2pm – 6pm

Terms: Strictly Cash or Cheque at Sale : NO EFTPOS : Photo ID

Catering: Tenterlife

Alford & Duff First National 277 Rouse Street • Tenterfield NSW 2372

Ph: 02 6736 3377 • Steve: 0428 100 328 www.alfordduff.com.au short walk or bike ride from home, is a key driver of the push to convert vacant offce spaces into apartments. This model promotes community-building and healthy living, boosts local economies and reduces transport emissions. However, while this all sounds great in theory, many offce buildings do not readily translate to healthy and quality accommodation, and

“we know that housing has an incredible impact on our health and wellbeing,” says Oldfeld. Ultimately, the challenge is to fnd a balance between making money, reducing carbon emissions and reusing assets in a sustainable way, without compromising on people’s health and wellbeing. It is essential that any offce-toresidential conversion meets the criteria for quality housing and provides the necessary amenities for urban living. Going forward, designers and planners must have the necessary skills and knowledge to create liveable and sustainable spaces, and governments must provide the necessary support to ensure these conversions are successful.

Quick Crossword

ACROSS

1 Condiment (7)

5 Advise (7)

9 Exactly the same (9)

10 Citizens of Switzerland (5)

11 Obtain by threats (6)

12 August (8)

14 Layout (6)

15 Enthusiasts (4)

19 Numeral (4)

20 Circles (6)

24 Country in Northeast Africa (8)

25 Illusion of having experienced something before (4,2)

27 Wanderer (5)

28 Steaminess (9)

29 Family of rulers (7)

30 Custody (7)

DOWN

1 Over from which no runs are scored (6)

2 Bed coverings (6)

3 Waiting room (8)

4 Gambling equipment (4)

5 Devastating (10)

Sudoku

6 Northern Ireland (6)

No. 142

4 Which primate comprises the genus Papio?

5 The de facto head of the Eastern Orthodox Church is the Archbishop and Ecumenical Patriarch of where?

6 In what year was the Republic of Türkiye established?

7 How many member states currently comprise the European Union?

1 Which of the world’s rivers runs through the most countries?

2 Which superhero disguises himself as a reporter for the ctional Daily Planet newspaper?

3 Which Australian author released their debut novel Monkey Grip in 1977?

8 What is the majority language of the city of Brussels, Belgium?

9 What does the dutch word ‘handschoenen’ mean?

10 What is the musical stage name of US actor Donald Glover (pictured)?

No. 142

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included, and each letter may only be used once. No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words ending in “s”.

Safety Corp RTO 91694

Tweed Heads

Each number corresponds to a letter. Can you crack the code?

Cross Math

Insert each number from 1 to 9 in the shaded squares to solve all the horizontal and vertical equations. Multiplication addition

5x5

Z

S

S

X A

T R A

R O

S E S

No. 118

8 LETTERS ABORTIVE ASSAILED ASSENTED HARANGUE

Hidden Word

Solve all the clues and an eight-letter word will be spelled out.

1 You might see a witch ying on one of these

2 A famous song from Pinocchio: When You Wish – – Star

3 What do you turn on to make it bright at night?

4 A toy airplane you have made from a kit

No. 117

Insert the missing letters to make 10 words –ve reading across the grid and ve reading down.

NOTE: more than one solution may be possible

5 The earth moves around the sun, and the moon moves around the earth

6 A very cold dwarf planet

7 The moon is out and the sun is down at this time

8 You can see these sparkling in the sky at night

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW...

1. What job does Cranston’s character leave behind in BreakingBad?

A. Police o cer

B. Chemistry teacher

C. Lab technician

D. Chef

2. In which iconic TV series has Cranston not made an appearance?

A. The Simpsons

B. Baywatch

C. Seinfeld

D. Melrose Place

Bryan Cranston

3. What was the name of Cranston’s youngest son in Malcolm in the Middle?

A. Hughie

B. Dewey

C. Louie

D. Stewie

4. In his series Your Honor what crime is his character’s son involved in?

A. Drug dealing

B. Stealing a car

C. Hit-and-run

D. Unpaid parking nes