The Multigenerational Suite
This pattern is shaped by
Problem
Housing designed for a single life stage — the young couple, the growing family, the empty nesters, the elderly — forces people to move every time their life changes. Each move breaks community ties, and the house they leave behind must be rebuilt for the next occupant.
Evidence and Discussion
Modern families are fluid: a couple's parents move in when health declines; a teenager needs independence; a divorce creates two households from one; an adult child returns during economic hardship; a homeowner takes in a boarder for income. With 20% of the U.S. population now living in multigenerational households, this is no longer a niche need.
The critical design move is a *conversion threshold* — the ability to shift between connected and independent modes without renovation. This means: a kitchenette that can operate as a full kitchen, a door that can be locked from either side, an entrance that works both as internal hallway and external front door.
Therefore
in every house above 120 square meters, design at least one zone that can function either as part of the main dwelling or as an independent suite — with its own entrance, bathroom, and kitchenette, connected to the main house by a door that can be open or locked. Design the conversion to require no construction: a lockable door, a pre-plumbed kitchen wall, an entrance that already has its own path from the street.