About
Articles by Steven
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Developing the World’s Tallest Net Zero Timber Building with Sidewalk Labs
Developing the World’s Tallest Net Zero Timber Building with Sidewalk Labs
By Steven Paynter
Activity
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My team and I demoed a tool that can save phenomenal time for those exploring office-building conversions. But first, I'd like to know who of you are…
My team and I demoed a tool that can save phenomenal time for those exploring office-building conversions. But first, I'd like to know who of you are…
Liked by Steven Paynter
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It’s great to see the first phase of our latest work at Holt Renfrew open. I can’t wait to shop the new store this weekend!
It’s great to see the first phase of our latest work at Holt Renfrew open. I can’t wait to shop the new store this weekend!
Shared by Steven Paynter
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An amazing project with an amazing team! We loved working with STUDIO PAOLO FERRARI and the Holt Renfrew team to help deliver the first phase of the…
An amazing project with an amazing team! We loved working with STUDIO PAOLO FERRARI and the Holt Renfrew team to help deliver the first phase of the…
Liked by Steven Paynter
Experience & Education
Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
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Member - Housing Affordability Committee
Toronto Region Board of Trade
- 1 year 1 month
Human Rights
Publications
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Re-Imagining the Office
Novae Res Urbis
Other authors -
NAIOP - Key Considerations for Office to Life Science, Medical or Multifamily Conversions Webinar Presenter
NAIOP
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Zak World of Facades - Chair of Panel Discussion
Zak World of Facades
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The office spaces transforming to luxury residential
BBC
As remote work has left many offices empty, developers are turning these spaces into private homes – hopefully reviving dying business districts as the same time.
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Bad Office makes for Good Residential
Rock Advisors Inc
Presentation to Rock Advisors inc as part of their two day office repositioning conference
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Office to Residential Conversion
Real Professionals Network
Presentation and panel discussion at conference
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Be Original - IDS Toronto Speaking Engagement
IDS Toronto
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Conversion Quandary
NOVAE RES URBIS
Magazine and policy article on the conversion of a Yonge street office to residential
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Converting Class C Office to Class A Residential
Propel by MIPIM (Speaking Engagement)
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Housing Developers Look to Retail and Office Locations
California Housing & Development Report
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Mass Timber Digest
Think Wood
Gensler and Sidewalk Labs PMX15 project is featured on the cover with a story about the project
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential
CBC TV New Ottawa
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High Rise Mass Timber and Prefabricaton
University of Waterloo Turkstra Talks
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Toronto - Here and Now with Gill Deacon
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Halifax - Mainstreet with Jeff Douglas
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Sudbury - Afternoon Drive with Chris dela Torre
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC St John's - On the Go with Ted Blades
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC New Brunswick - Shift with Vanessa Vander Valk
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Ottawa - All in a Day with Alan Neal
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Winnipeg - Up to Speed with Faith Fundal
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Saskatchewan - Afternoon Edition with Garth Materie
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Vancouver - On the Coast with Gloria Macarenko
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Kelowna - Radio West with Sarah Penton
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Whitehorse - Airplay with Dave White
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Victoria - All Points West with Kathryn Marlow
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Bad Office Makes for Good Residential - Bringing Life back to our Downtown Cores
CBC Edmonton - Radio Active with Adrienne Pan
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Speaking Engagement - Developing the World’s Tallest Net Zero Timber Building (3rd June 2020)
Smart Cities & Mobility Ecosystems - Miami
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Speaking Engagement - Developing the World’s Tallest Net Zero Timber Building (June 24th 2020)
Australian Smart Skyscrapers Summit - Melbourne
Honors & Awards
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Most Influential People
Site news
Paynter is showing builders how data and technology can help transform cities and solve the nation’s biggest problems. As building transformation & adaptive reuse leader, principal, for global design firm Gensler, he led the development of a tool for rapid assessment of existing office building stock for ESG performance and conversion into housing. This technology has most notably been implemented in Calgary to create thousands of new housing units. This approach has now spread to other major…
Paynter is showing builders how data and technology can help transform cities and solve the nation’s biggest problems. As building transformation & adaptive reuse leader, principal, for global design firm Gensler, he led the development of a tool for rapid assessment of existing office building stock for ESG performance and conversion into housing. This technology has most notably been implemented in Calgary to create thousands of new housing units. This approach has now spread to other major cities, including Toronto, New York and San Francisco
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Most Innovative Companies 2024
Fast Company
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The Future of Work 50
Forbes
What can be done about the glut of tired office buildings no one wants anymore? Gensler's Paynter has an answer. As leader of the office design giant's building transformation and adaptive reuse practice, Paynter created an algorithm that helps developers and landlords decide which offices can profitably be converted into residential space, cutting the time it takes to make such decisions from four or six months to hours. When it comes to commercial office buildings, Paynter, who's participated…
What can be done about the glut of tired office buildings no one wants anymore? Gensler's Paynter has an answer. As leader of the office design giant's building transformation and adaptive reuse practice, Paynter created an algorithm that helps developers and landlords decide which offices can profitably be converted into residential space, cutting the time it takes to make such decisions from four or six months to hours. When it comes to commercial office buildings, Paynter, who's participated in White House roundtables on real estate, says his job is "how do I identify the losers and figure out what to do with them?"
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Top 100 People Transforming Business
Business Insider
Paynter used to be the guy you went to at Gensler to talk about mass timber construction, a lower-carbon alternative to concrete and steel structures. But in the past two years, he’s gone in a completely different direction.
Paynter’s become the San Francisco-based international architecture firm’s foremost voice on office-to-multifamily residential conversions — a timely turn given the impact of the pandemic on the commercial-real-estate market.
The 39-year-old, whose roles…Paynter used to be the guy you went to at Gensler to talk about mass timber construction, a lower-carbon alternative to concrete and steel structures. But in the past two years, he’s gone in a completely different direction.
Paynter’s become the San Francisco-based international architecture firm’s foremost voice on office-to-multifamily residential conversions — a timely turn given the impact of the pandemic on the commercial-real-estate market.
The 39-year-old, whose roles include studio director of the Toronto office and design resilience leader, is implementing a scorecard that will help determine the viability of converting offices to residential buildings in urban centers throughout the world.
Under Paynter’s leadership, Gensler developed an algorithm that’s able to quickly assess which buildings are viable for conversion to multifamily residential homes, collapsing the survey process from months to hours.
The reasons he tackled this project are threefold: The first was to enhance the vibrancy of downtowns, many of which are struggling after the pandemic.
“If you get people back downtown, you can reduce crime, and you can reduce pollution caused by commuting,” Paynter said.
The second reason was “so we don’t start tearing these buildings down. That would have been a huge problem and millions of kilograms of carbon would be released by doing it,” he said.
Finally, he sees solutions that can help combat the housing-supply crunch that constrains most urban centers.
After running Gensler’s algorithm, Calgary released a $10 billion blueprint for revitalization that encourages incentives for developers to do conversions. According to Gensler’s estimates, repurposing buildings will increase the area’s population by 23%.
“It’ll have a huge impact on the viability of the city and the retail there and the people who live there,” Paynter said.
More activity by Steven
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I'm looking forward to speaking on the National Repositioning + Adaptive Reuse Webinar. To attend, click here https://lnkd.in/gczR6bhX Bisnow
I'm looking forward to speaking on the National Repositioning + Adaptive Reuse Webinar. To attend, click here https://lnkd.in/gczR6bhX Bisnow
Liked by Steven Paynter
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I'm thrilled to say that I have been selected to be a Judge for 2024's CMA Awards by the Canadian Marketing Association. I can't wait to dive into…
I'm thrilled to say that I have been selected to be a Judge for 2024's CMA Awards by the Canadian Marketing Association. I can't wait to dive into…
Liked by Steven Paynter
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🏆 Congrats to the entire consultant team for winning an AZURE Media AZ Award! 🏆 This team was led by Arnold and Leeviana and I'm so glad their hard…
🏆 Congrats to the entire consultant team for winning an AZURE Media AZ Award! 🏆 This team was led by Arnold and Leeviana and I'm so glad their hard…
Liked by Steven Paynter
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I recently sat down with Juliet Bennett Rylah from The Hustle to chat about our ongoing drive to use Office Conversions as a means of easing the…
I recently sat down with Juliet Bennett Rylah from The Hustle to chat about our ongoing drive to use Office Conversions as a means of easing the…
Shared by Steven Paynter
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This will make you want to upgrade your flight ✈️! Well done Matthew Johnson, Siobhan Barry and the Gensler team behind our Delta partnership.
This will make you want to upgrade your flight ✈️! Well done Matthew Johnson, Siobhan Barry and the Gensler team behind our Delta partnership.
Liked by Steven Paynter
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Come join us (virtually) to learn about the ins, outs, and the unique economics of office conversion from these smart folks: Steven Paynter, Ana…
Come join us (virtually) to learn about the ins, outs, and the unique economics of office conversion from these smart folks: Steven Paynter, Ana…
Liked by Steven Paynter
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