convert offices and parking lots

If there is something that sister a multitude of countries at this time, that is the deep housing crisis we are going through. In Spain, and according to Idealisticthe average price of the square meter has triggered more than 40% these last five years. If we look at what the neighbors do, we have cases that are familiar to us. For example, Almost 10% of its real estate park are second residencesand in London it is so serious that They are uploading taxes to Mansalva. In the search for solutions, an idea has occurred to Paris: convert offices and parking lots.

And he wants to do it with a coup d’etat.

Social Housing. Paris is one of the European cities that is investing the most when creating protected housing. Fruit of different actions of these last decades, They have passed From about 126,000 social homes to almost 272,000. Currently, the Social Housing Park in the French capital is around 25%, but although the administration has increased Public spending up to 800 million euros (28% more than the previous figure), the demand is so high that it cannot be satisfied.

What does this translate? In which, although there is more protected housing, prices are exorbitant. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, commented Recently, young people cannot access housing because “it is almost impossible, the price level is tremendous,” stating that without family support they cannot access as owners. And to solve it, they have begun to use the law.

2025-541. That is the number of a law that France promulgated in June of this year with the objective of facilitating the transformation of non -residential buildings. It is a regulation that gives the urban administration the power when allowing the change in the use of buildings, even if it contradicts local urban plans.

As? Facilitating the transformation of offices and other non -residential buildings, such as parking, in homes. Besides, contemplate a reversible license which allows to modify the use of a building between residential and office without the need for new permits, all with the aim of expediting processes.

Truillot garden

Transformation. The purpose is to encourage the creation of housing in areas that already have an infrastructure, but whose qualification is not residential. That is, instead of Raise new floors (A longer and more expensive process), what they want to encourage is that certain spaces be remodeled to be converted into homes. It is another step in a practice that the French capital has been carrying out in recent years.

It is estimated that 70% of urban permits issued since 2020 are linked to structure reconversion projects, an example being both both the Truillot garden (It was a parking lot and now it is a green space with urban garden) like the Lamarck Street parking which will become a mixed space of offices, homes, sport and social areas. It is something that also affects administrative buildings, such as the conversion of premises of the Ministry of Defense on 254 social floors.

Truillot in 2014

And in 2024

Ambition. The objective of these proposals is to reach 40% of social housing before 2035. It is very ambitious if we take into account that they move in current 25%, a figure that took 20 years to reach. In addition, new projects must have a series of common characteristics such as efficient energy systems to achieve decarbonization objectives and have green areas, betting on a model of “vegetation“Of the neighborhoods. It is something that even has taken debate In Europe.

An attack. Now, this plan has harvested criticism and doubts about its true impact when solving the housing crisis. Among the latter, there are who He thinks That betting on the conversion of empty offices is something that only responds to creating the illusion of acting in times of crisis, since the volume of really transformable offices is not so high and the figures will remain below the political objectives.

In addition, it is not a simple process. HE points to transformable offices that have a good amount of years behind them, so the process would be complex and expensive to be energetically poor buildings that will have to adapt deeply to comply with residential regulations of light, ventilation and accessibility.

Finally, and beyond political criticismit is estimated that the cost of rehabilitation would be so high that private companies would be discouraged by doubts about the return of investment, forcing To these expensive projects are financed with public aid.

Images | Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, CHABE01

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