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On March 12, 2014, the Globe and Mail addressed the phenomenon of multigenerational homes and how architects respond to shifting family needs. The piece profiled a particular young Toronto family, who in redesigning their home were careful to incorporate features to allow elderly parents to live with them in the future, when they no longer wished to live on their own. The design of the home includes a passageway next to the dining room which can be converted to a doorway to the basement where there is a self-contained apartment. The large basement unit and doorway would allow the grandparents their independence and privacy while still integrating them into the larger family home. While for now the house is a single-family home with a rental apartment in the basement it can easily be converted to a home to accommodate three generations of the family.
The phenomenon of planned multigenerational living is not just found in Toronto. Montreal architect Henri Cleinge describes a project that allowed the grandparents to live with the parents and children and assist with childcare, while still able, and then down the road as their needs increased, to have those needs met by the parents.
In Vancouver municipal restrictions have changed to allow for laneway houses, which can accommodate even more creative arrangements for combined family living. Vancouver engineer and architectural designer Bryn Davidson calls laneway houses “a nicer version of a basement suite.”
The architects emphasize that each arrangement must be carefully planned with the family and individuals’ needs in mind. The creative designs also show that with the right planning – and budget – multigenerational living can be both functional and appealing.
Link to the Globe and Mail article
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/architecture/with-changing-demographics-the-multigenerational-house-comes-of-age/article17438030/comments/
