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Old commercial buildings can become modern assets through targeted upgrades to the street-level experience, the rooftop, office floors and building systems. The approach is not necessarily a single, all-or-nothing redesign: owners can plan interventions in phases, matching each one to the building’s condition, occupants and market. Whether a particular building can support a proposed use or justify the investment depends on project-specific evaluation.
In its June 2024 article for Building Design + Construction, NBBJ presents four ways to reposition an aging commercial high-rise: make the ground floor more inviting, turn the roof into a destination, rethink underused office floors and modernize building systems. Taken together, these strategies treat a building as a set of connected opportunities rather than a structure that must be replaced or completely remade at once.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThat distinction matters because a visually appealing renovation is not, by itself, a viable repositioning. A change has to serve a clear group of users, fit the building and its systems, and make sense as part of a workable scope and sequence. The four interventions below offer a useful framework for asking those questions; they are not a universal prescription or a guarantee of higher rents, shorter schedules or lower costs.
Why consider renewal instead of starting over?
Renewal can let owners work with an existing building and direct investment toward the areas most relevant to its future use. NBBJ’s article cites several figures to explain the opportunity, but they should be understood as claims reported by that article, not as project-level forecasts.
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- The article says cities have doubled in size globally over the past 20 years and that two-thirds of the U.S. commercial building inventory was built before the 21st century.
- It reports that JLL research found renewing an existing building can increase its market rate by 120%. The passage does not identify the underlying JLL study, so this is not a dependable estimate for any specific property.
- NBBJ says structural costs account for around 25% to 30% of an overall new-construction project, and describes renewal as typically taking two years to complete, depending on phase, compared with five years for a new building. Neither comparison is a project guarantee; scope, approvals and site conditions can change both cost and schedule.
The article also says a renewed building could offer leases equal to or better than a new tower, and that many U.S. cities offer tax credits or early permitting for building renewals. Incentives and permitting rules vary by location and may change. Owners should confirm current eligibility with local authorities and qualified advisers before treating an incentive or schedule advantage as part of a financial plan.
How can the ground floor reconnect a building to the street?
Improve the entry, lobby and street edge so that the building feels easier to approach and gives tenants and neighbors a reason to use its ground level. In NBBJ’s framework, this is the “Hit the Streets” intervention: it focuses on the first impression and the building’s relationship to the public realm.
A ground-floor plan may include a more open or welcoming entrance, shared amenities, community-facing programming or spaces that create more activity along the street. The central question is not simply whether the lobby looks newer. It is whether the ground level works for the people the building is meant to attract and whether its public-facing uses fit the property’s day-to-day operation.
Before committing to a design, owners can clarify the intended audience and outcome. Is the goal to improve the arrival experience for existing tenants, make the building more visible to prospective occupants, create a place for shared activity or engage the surrounding community? A clear answer helps distinguish useful space from a decorative change that does not address the building’s needs.
Ground-floor improvements also need to be considered in relation to the rest of the building. An active lobby may support a broader repositioning, but it cannot on its own solve underused upper floors or outdated mechanical systems. The design and operating plan should account for how an inviting public edge will coexist with access, tenant needs and the building’s other planned uses.
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What can an underused rooftop become?
A rooftop that is not serving tenants can potentially become a shared destination, with uses such as outdoor seating, event space, presentation areas or flexible enclosed rooms. NBBJ calls this “Raise the Roof”: make the roof a usable part of the building rather than treating it only as leftover space.
The best concept depends on what the building needs to offer. A presentation area might support meetings or events; seating could create a shared amenity; and an enclosed room could provide a flexible setting for different activities. These are possibilities, not assurances that every roof can accommodate them. The intended users, the value of the space to the building’s overall offer and the practical demands of operating it should guide the brief.
Rooftop planning should be coordinated with the building’s systems and overall renovation scope. NBBJ’s article includes system modernization as a separate intervention, which is a reminder that a new use cannot be planned in isolation from the building it sits on. The project team needs to evaluate the proposed roof program against the property’s conditions and applicable requirements before assuming a design is feasible.
Phasing matters here too. If the roof is part of a wider repositioning, owners can decide whether it belongs in the first phase or should follow other work. That choice can depend on how the rooftop use supports the intended occupants and how it fits with the sequence of planned upgrades—not simply on whether the space appears available.
How should owners rethink underused office floors?
Reprogram office floors around the work patterns and uses the building is intended to support, rather than assuming that every floor should retain the same layout. NBBJ calls this “Cut the Cubicles” and points to shared amenities, maker or atelier spaces, and possible residential or lab uses as options to explore.
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The alternatives differ substantially, so “more flexible” is not a sufficient design brief. A shared amenity, a maker space, a laboratory and a residential use do not represent interchangeable layouts or requirements. Each possible use needs its own building-specific feasibility review; the article offers them as examples, not as proof that a particular building can support them.
One useful principle from NBBJ is to test a redesign on a smaller scale before expanding it. A pilot or limited initial phase can help the owner evaluate whether the proposed arrangement is serving its intended purpose before committing to a wider rollout. This approach can also make it easier to adjust a concept as user preferences change, although a pilot does not remove the need to assess the wider project’s constraints.
Start by identifying where space is underused and what the future occupant is expected to do there. Then compare candidate uses against the building’s condition and the wider repositioning plan. If different floors are intended for different purposes, the design should make those choices legible in the scope rather than treating the whole building as one generic office renovation.
Which building systems should modernization address?
Modernize the systems that affect the building’s performance, occupant experience and resilience, while assessing each proposed upgrade against the property and project. NBBJ’s “Modernize the Machine” category includes mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) work, more efficient heating and cooling, operable windows, solar panels, reduced-carbon materials and seismic upgrades.
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That range spans both building services and broader construction decisions. Heating and cooling upgrades address building performance; operable windows and other design choices may be considered as part of the occupant experience; solar panels and reduced-carbon materials are among the options NBBJ identifies; and seismic upgrades address resilience. The article does not specify technologies, savings, product performance or a standard package of measures, so owners should not infer a particular result from the list alone.
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System work should be coordinated with intended uses elsewhere in the building. A proposed rooftop destination or a change in office-floor use may alter what the project needs to evaluate in its overall design. Similarly, an owner considering new windows, solar panels or seismic work should treat those as project-specific scope decisions—not automatic add-ons. Technical review and applicable local requirements determine what is appropriate.
Prioritization is important when a full systems overhaul is not part of the first phase. Owners can identify which performance or resilience objectives matter most to the repositioning and plan the scope accordingly. The sequence should reflect the building’s needs and future uses; the source does not offer a universal order of operations or a set of savings figures.
How can these four interventions be planned as phases?
Use the four areas—street, roof, office floors and systems—to organize a building-specific plan, then decide which interventions belong together and which can wait. NBBJ’s central idea is that smaller, timed improvements can adapt over time; as the article puts it, “These smaller scale, timed interventions offer a future proofed strategy that can evolve and adapt over time as preferences change.”
- Define the intended change. State who the building should serve and what the repositioning is meant to accomplish. A ground-floor refresh, rooftop amenity or alternative floor use should have a defined purpose.
- Map opportunities by location. Identify the ground-floor, rooftop, office-floor and systems interventions under consideration. This makes it easier to see whether a proposal addresses a real opportunity or duplicates another part of the plan.
- Check feasibility before treating an idea as scope. Have the relevant project professionals assess the property, proposed uses and applicable requirements. An example in an article is not confirmation of suitability for a specific building.
- Choose a sequence and scale. Decide which improvements make sense first, whether any can be tested at a smaller scale, and how later phases would relate to the initial work. NBBJ describes phasing as an approach, not a promise of a particular schedule.
- Revisit the plan as the brief develops. Because the strategy is intended to evolve with preferences, owners can use each phase to inform subsequent decisions rather than assuming that every future intervention must be fixed in advance.
This framework helps organize decisions, but it is not a substitute for a project-specific cost plan, technical assessment or local permitting advice. In particular, the source’s market-rate, cost and schedule figures are reported comparisons, not inputs that can be transferred directly to an individual property.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should owners take away from the four strategies?
The four interventions address distinct parts of a commercial building: its connection to the street, the usefulness of its rooftop, the purpose of its floors and the performance of its systems. Their value lies in giving owners a structured way to consider targeted, phased repositioning—not in guaranteeing that every building can adopt every idea.
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A practical plan starts with the building and its intended users, then tests each proposed improvement against feasibility, scope and sequence. As NBBJ’s article suggests, renewal can be approached as a series of decisions that adapt over time. Whether that approach is preferable to a larger redesign or new construction depends on the property and the evidence developed for its project.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an older commercial building have to be completely renovated to be repositioned?
No. The framework in NBBJ’s article is based on targeted interventions that may be phased, rather than requiring one comprehensive redesign. The appropriate scope still depends on the building’s condition and the goals of its owner.
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It may be possible in some locations, but the article provides no jurisdiction-specific eligibility rules. Confirm current programs and requirements with the relevant local authority or a qualified adviser before relying on an incentive.
Who should evaluate whether an office floor can become residential or lab space?
That decision calls for a building-specific review by qualified project professionals, including consideration of the proposed use and applicable requirements. NBBJ names residential and lab space as possibilities to explore, not as universally feasible conversions.
Are the reported two-year renewal and five-year new-build timelines guaranteed?
No. They are broad comparisons reported in the 2024 article, not schedules for a particular project. Scope, phasing, approvals and property-specific conditions can affect actual timing.
