Vacant offices as a solution to Munich’s housing shortage?

Munich has one of the most expensive housing markets in Germany. At the same time, a great deal of office space stands empty: according to a survey by the property services firm Colliers, this totalled around 1.6 million square metres in 2023. Office locations outside the city centre are particularly affected, as they are becoming increasingly unattractive to businesses. Couldn’t the vacant buildings simply be converted into flats?

According to Karin Schmid, an architect, urban planner and Professor at the Department of Architecture at Hochschule München (HM), older office buildings – which need to be refurbished anyway and are difficult to let out again – are particularly well suited to this purpose. However, the biggest hurdles at present are of an economic nature. Many office buildings are owned by property funds, which still carry their buildings at high values on their balance sheets. As flats often generate lower rental income than offices, the owners might have to accept a loss in the value of their property if they were to convert the buildings.

Renovation rather than new build?

Legal requirements and the location of the buildings can also complicate the conversion process. At the same time, student projects at the HM show that even office buildings with unfavourable floor plans can be converted into flats. According to Schmid, such projects can not only create new housing but also revitalise entire neighbourhoods.

We would be happy to arrange an interview with HM Professor Karin Schmid. She explains which office buildings are suitable for conversion, what economic and legal obstacles exist, and what would need to change for more vacant offices in Munich to be converted into flats.

Interview enquiries: Lisa Miethke on 089/1265-1929 or by email .

Prof. Karin Schmid

Prof. Karin Schmid is an architect and urban planner, as well as a Professor at the Department of Architecture at HM. Her teaching and research focus, amongst other things, on the Transformation of existing buildings and urban neighbourhoods. Together with the O2H working group of the BDA Bavaria, she has produced a publication on the conversion of office buildings into residential accommodation.

Publication

Published by BDA Bayen e.V., co-author: Karin Schmid.

O2H – Office to Housing: A guide to the Transformation of unused office space into affordable housing. (2025)

Available online at: bda-bayern.de