The Whole Life Carbon of Commercial-to-Residential Conversions
Aligning the Climate and Housing Imperative
Report Summary: In this 2025 overlay study, previous findings from "Behind the Facade: The Feasibility of Converting Commercial Real Estate to Multifamily" are further analyzed to estimate the embodied, operational, and whole life carbon impacts of each of successful 24 conversion projects, representing 14 state and 18 city jurisdictions, using Architecture 2030's CARE Tool. Four of these buildings are further analyzed to provide insight into leveraging regulatory and design drivers to minimize whole life carbon impacts of conversion projects as early as the planning phase. The report shares new evidence that commercial-to-residential conversion projects can deliver substantial carbon mitigation benefits compared to leaving existing commercial spaces unrenovated and the creation of ground-up housing units.