Weddings, artists and mini-golf courses are finding their way into offices as landlords and corporates experiment with alternative ways to make more use of space.

Whether it’s generating better returns, creating social value, or simply finding ways to get the buzz back into a building, offices are opening up to new possibilities.

Here are five ways companies are breathing new life into under-utilized or vacant office space.

With social value playing an increasingly larger role in corporate strategies, businesses are seeking ways to give back to local communities.

One global e-commerce firm formed a partnership with a local non-profit to give a number of floors in their Seattle building over to the creation of a homeless shelter. Separated from the space used by employees, it has its own private entrance, a large dining room, an industrial kitchen with commercial cooking equipment, recreation spaces for children and teens and office space for the firm’s legal team to provide support to shelter residents.

Another initiative in Dubai sees a global bank opening the ground floor of their building for a weekly farmer’s market, benefiting both local producers and employees.

In the UK, Lloyds Banking Group has announced they’re seeking partners to redevelop their empty offices and decommissioned data centers into new social housing projects, as part of a longer-term strategy to help increase the supply of affordable homes. 

As populations around the world age, more buildings could potentially be repurposed for medical services, particularly post-operative care.

In West London, there are plans to repurpose a building recently vacated by Japanese imaging solutions group Canon into a 98,000-square-foot post-operative care facility. The new center will feature overnight guest rooms, consultation and treatment areas, dental care facilities, pharmacy, radiology and MRI suites, a gym and physiotherapy centre, and a hydrotherapy pool.