In a city like Hamburg, where 600,000 square meters of office space sit vacant, only 29 listings are available for every 1,000 apartment searches, as reported by NDR in April 2024. The question arises: why not simply convert vacant spaces into housing? “Repurposing” is the frequently mentioned keyword, with “building within existing structures” as the guiding principle. Lower emissions and reduced embodied energy are also key goals. But converting office and commercial spaces into residential units—can it really be done? What characteristics must buildings have to make this feasible, and what regulations must be met? Where do the housing and office markets currently stand, which trends are here to stay, and what keeps the industry up at night? These are the topics discussed by Matias Otto, architect, project developer, partner, and Head of Real Estate at enomyc.