The paper focuses on the key factors that have impact on the architectural form of the office buildings in Karlin, Prague. Karlin, a former industrial quarter, has undergone a massive spatial and functional transformation in the post-socialist period. The research is based on semi-structured interviews with the stakeholders operating in the area and compares the spatial arrangement of the new office complexes with the original development. The theoretical framework combines the open building approach, space syntax methodology and risk aversion concept.