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Flexi-Space: Architects and construction
companies are conceiving adaptable solutions
that suit multigenerational living arrangements,
from fully-equipped, private access guest suites to
an extra bedroom for a boomerang kid – referred
to drily by US architect Michael Woodley as the
“unemployed brother’s room”. Swedish furniture
giant Ikea provides families with flexible design
solutions such as bookcases that double as room
dividers, providing privacy and individualism.
Universal Design: Multi-gen houses call for smart
spatial solutions that work for multiple family
members – positioning the washer and dryer on the
ground level accommodates less mobile residents.
Similarly, user-friendly fixtures and fittings – such
as touchless or single-lever arm faucets – will suit
children’s less dexterous hands, as well as older
arthritic ones. American architect James Pirkl’s
Transgenerational House in Mexico features
inclusive design solutions, from adjustable height
kitchen units to an easy-to-read Nest
home
thermostat.
Family Focus: Despite living in close proximity,
individual family members often spend little
quality time together. In a recent podcast, Daphne
Kasriel-Alexander, consumers editor of global
market research company Euromonitor, said:
“In today’s multigenerational homes, the most
common scenario is the family together, but
interacting with separate pieces of technology,
with younger consumers often hidden in their
tech-led media bedsits.” In response, smart brands
are creating products and experiences that
facilitate bonding.
Multi-Generational Co-Habitation
An ongoing counter-current to the solo living trend
is a shift towards multigenerational co-habitation.
Ageing baby boomers are relocating to the
heart of the family, while young graduates are
returning home thanks to sky-high property prices
and a stagnant employment market.
•
The number of 20- to 34-year-olds living at
home in the UK is now 3.2 million, and this
trend is replicated across other Western
economies such as Australia and the US.
•
In the US, census figures show that "doubled-
up households" that include one or more extra
adult occupants who are not in education or
spouses rose by 10.7% in 2011 to 21.8 million,
compared to 19.7 million households four
years earlier.
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