Steven Paynter, an expert in office-to-residential conversions at the architecture firm Gensler, thinks converted office buildings will be a trendy, new type of housing. Advertisement Advertisement Watch:The renovated exterior of Franklin Tower, a 24-story former office building in downtown Philadelphia that now contains luxury residences. But renovating old office buildings is no simple task. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn some cases, particularly when it comes to postwar high-rises, it's more economical to tear old office buildings down and replace them with new housing, Hogan said. When Gensler renovated Franklin Tower, a vacant 1970s office building in downtown Philadelphia, it fully reconstructed the facade and windows.

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