ADAPTIVE RE-USE OF THE SUBURBAN OFFICE PARK: RECLAIMING THE OBSOLESCENCE

Abstract

On a nationwide scale, the office market is experiencing high office vacancy rates. There are three main contributors for this repositioning in the office market. A trend within the commercial real estate office market is the urbanization of offices buildings and is creating vacancies in suburban office properties. The focus of office building design has always placed a high importance on the individual from the office cubicle, the single-tenant users within the building, and the single use on the site. Lastly the buildings inefficiency in terms of building systems, energy usage, and the standard building facade strategies. The suburban office market is experiencing even higher office vacancy than the urban office market. Montgomery County, MD has an oversaturation of office parks as a direct result of suburban sprawl and antiquated zoning choices. This reinforces the isolation that is the office park typology.

This thesis will explore how to take the disconnected building typology of the suburban office park, and re-integrate it into the surrounding fabric. The transformation will include office space that emphasizes a collaborative work environment, housing that accommodates a diversity of incomes, street level retail, and amenity spaces, and active green spaces that encourage neighborhood interaction.