Turning office gluts into urban living spaces

the government can play a clear role by establishing rules for converting office buildings into housing.

AMID discussions swirling over the redevelopment and revitalisation of cities and urban areas that have ignited passions across Malaysia’s political spectrum, property developers owning underutilised or empty buildings, such as office towers, are finding ways to sustain their business by converting them into residential spaces to address the growing need for housing.

One such move was recently announced by Land & General Bhd, which is spending RM45mil to convert an office building it owns in Putrajaya into serviced apartments, responding to the glut of office space in the nation’s administrative capital.