For the first time in over a century, living with parents has surpassed other living arrangements for young adults aged 18 to 34. The traditional makeup of the multigenerational home is changing; adult children are moving back in with their parents, or may have not yet left home.
Going beyond the in-law suite, KTGY Architecture + Planning's R+D Studio has unveiled a new concept community that tackles multigenerational housing in a new way. Mix-and-match plans—ranging from a Duet (duplex) to a Quartet (fourplex) accommodate a range of generations that are at different stages of life and have very different housing needs.
Dubbed Ensemble, the design accommodates the different age groups through unique floor plans. Each single-family detached plan may be sold separately, or as a Duet—which would allow the buyer to either lease one of the two units to create rental income that offsets mortgage costs—or provide additional space for a multi-gen household by sharing the home with parents, children, extended family, or a caretaker. The Quartets combine two Duet homes back-to-back through a common wall.
By offering a variety of floor plan designs, sizes, and price points, the master plan's goal is to reach a broad range of demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds to encourage diversity, and form neighborly connections across generations.
The units are offered as compact as 655 square feet for a one-bedroom, and extend up to 2,955 square feet for a three-bedroom with two masters, four baths, and a bonus suite. Shared, green courtyards connect the homes, ranging from 1,300 to 1,685 square feet between the duplexes, and from 2,385 to 2,530 square feet in the fourplexes. The larger units face the 46-foot- wide primary street, and each unit has a private enclosed front patio in addition to the shared courtyard and decks.
Based on the Dutch concept of "Woonerf"—"living" streets that provide equal priority to all modes of transportation—the main roadways create a calm space where children can play and ride bikes in the neighborhood.
