Manhattan’s West 20s, 30s, and 40s are full of these buildings. Built as lofts early in the 20th Century, they’ve housed the businesses that made New York what it is: garment factories, design studios, showrooms, light manufacturing, traders in furs, fabrics, and trimmings, printers, you name it. They've changed with the city, and are mostly office buildings these days. But they're in danger of becoming obsolete. While they offer wide open spaces that lend themselves to flexible layouts, and have that classic loft feeling, their core spaces are out of date: too small, to constrained, and not suited to today's needs for privacy and distancing. In this this post-pandemic era, they are no longer up to standard. They're terrific buildings and can be given new life. Here is one way to upgrade and provide 21st Century tenants with an amenity they'll love.
Bathrooms are the most intimate parts of any office. Tenants appreciate them when they're good, and hate them when they're not. Upgrade them and you reap dividends forever in tenant satisfaction and retention. This envisions a complete re-do: rip out the old, antiquated toilet rooms completely. In their place, provide new individual, private compartments with tile finishes and individual exhaust ducts. Install all-new hands-free fixtures: faucets, soap dispensers, and water closets. Put in the latest in forced-air hand dryers. Put in a separate hand wash sink outside, so people can wash up without having to use the toilet, so important these days. Design it for one-way traffic in and out, to safeguard privacy, health, and safety. An amenity that tenants will reward you for.