Scaling Up Co-Living With Adaptive Reuse

In Chicago, a developer plans to convert 31 floors of a commercial building in Chicago into space for 505 co-living residents.

1 minute read

October 18, 2019, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Chicago, Illinois

Ken Lund / Flickr

"A Chicago developer plans to bring 505 co-living residents to a 41-story Loop office tower, the largest communal living property ever proposed in the city," reports Ryan Ori.

"CityPads has a deal to buy the top 31 floors of the 92-year-old Clark Adams Building, with plans to invest $80 million converting the office space into small, shared apartments that will be managed by co-living firm Common," adds Ori.

In addition to spreading 505 beds around shared rooms, with three or four beds each, the co-living development will include 159 traditional apartments with a total of 172 beds.

The context for the development news includes a struggling office market, which is facing a growing number of vacancies in the Central Loop.

Friday, October 11, 2019 in Chicago Tribune

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

: Construction of massive Samsung semiconductor fabrication plant

In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland

Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.

15 minutes ago - Inside Climate News

A construction crew working on SunZia.

How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on

The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.

1 hour ago - Grist

A rendering of the basketball court, a green court under a blue sky.

MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court

The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.

2 hours ago - Gothamist