Post-COVID, New York state and city officials have enacted a range of measures and tax breaks to speed up the conversion of old office buildings into new apartment complexes. David Brand, housing reporter for WNYC and Gothamist discusses the latest, including an extreme structural failure that recently happened at Pfizer's former headquarters in Midtown. Plus, Peter Varsalona, principal and building design group team leader at RAND Engineering & Architecture, talks about office-to-residential conversions, additions to existing buildings and the engineering considerations involved.  

Photo: Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani briefs the media with NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and New York City Emergency Management Department (NYCEM) officials on a Structurally Compromised Midtown Building on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

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