Linebox Studio, an Ottawa-based architecture and interior design firm founded in 2007, is working with Metcalfe Realty to explore converting 85 Albert Street — a 1976-built, 89,000-square-foot office tower in downtown Ottawa — into residential units. The project is one of several office-to-residential conversions under consideration in Ottawa's downtown core as commercial landlords respond to softer office demand and the city's push for more housing.
About the Building
85 Albert Street sits between Metcalfe and Elgin streets in downtown Ottawa and last underwent a major renovation in 2007. Current tenants include law firms, a fitness facility, and the Haitian embassy. Metcalfe Realty has owned the property since its original construction in 1976.
Why 85 Albert Street Is a Strong Conversion Candidate
According to Linebox Studio founder and principal architect Andrew Reeves, the building's rectangular floor plate makes it well suited to residential conversion — a shape that allows for efficient unit layouts, a common advantage in older, simpler office towers built before more complex commercial floor designs became standard.
The building also benefits from its adjacency to 75 Albert Street, another Metcalfe-owned office property next door. The two buildings could potentially share amenities and ground-floor retail space if both move toward residential or mixed-use programming, creating efficiencies that a standalone conversion wouldn't offer.
Because Metcalfe Realty has owned 85 Albert Street since it was built, Reeves noted that the ownership team has a detailed, first-hand understanding of the building's structure and systems — reducing the risk of unexpected conditions once interior demolition begins, a common cost and schedule risk in adaptive reuse projects.
Market Context
Commercial real estate professionals have pointed to buildings like 85 and 116 Albert as reasonable candidates for repurposing given where they sit in their life cycle and their downtown location, which is attractive to residents. At the same time, industry observers note there's no immediate pressure on Metcalfe Realty to relocate existing tenants, giving the company flexibility to evaluate whether the office leasing market recovers before committing to a residential conversion — a costly and complex undertaking.
City policy has also shaped the timing of these decisions. Cash-in-lieu of parkland fees — payments developers make to the city instead of dedicating land for greenspace — are set at 2% of land value for office buildings, compared to 5–10% for residential developments. Before a recent fee freeze, office-to-residential conversions in most parts of Ottawa required developers to pay a 10% cash-in-lieu rate, one of several financial levers the city has used to encourage adaptive reuse of aging office stock.
Nothing Is Final Yet
As of this writing, conversion remains one option under consideration for 85 Albert Street rather than a confirmed plan. Metcalfe Realty could also pursue renovation aimed at retaining office tenants, depending on how the commercial leasing market develops.
Linebox Studio will continue to share updates on this project as plans progress.
Source: This post draws on original reporting by David Sali for the Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ), "Metcalfe Realty mulls plan to convert office tower". Read the full article on obj.ca for additional commentary from Ottawa commercial real estate brokers.
Linebox Studio is an Ottawa-based architecture and interior design firm specializing in high-rise and mid-rise residential development, adaptive reuse, and mixed-use design across Ottawa and Gatineau.
