5 ways office space is getting a new lease of life

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.

Many landlords are finding use for empty office buildings and commercial properties by turning them into spaces for creatives.

There are organizations that help with this, such as the UK’s Hypha Studios, which matches creatives with landlords and empty spaces across Britain. The Creative Land Trust forms partnerships with owners, donors and investors to secure studio space for makers and artists, helping to regenerate vacant space.

There’s a boost for British landlords: businesses pay lower property taxes if they have nonprofits as tenants. So by letting to artists, landlords save money while improving their ESG credentials.

In the U.S., a 7-week arts exhibition featuring more than 1,000 artists and performers took place earlier this year in the heart of Washington DC. The event formed part of the city’s wider strategy to restore vitality to office corridors and was held in an empty 300,000 square foot, eight floor block slated for eventual residential conversion.

Meanwhile, in New York’s Financial District, artist Christopher Wool’s latest exhibition has been taking place on the 19^th floor of a vacant former office space at 101 Greenwich.