Residence AD&H

This unusual project began as a conversation with a former client. Her daughter’s family had become cramped in their small house. Could we possibly find a solution to extend the building to accommodate a couple, three children, a dog, a cat, a large collection of musical instruments, and a versatile working space?

After initial studies exploring conventional additions, we changed approach. Our client, living in the house next door, was in the opposite situation. She had two spare rooms and plenty of unused space... Could we use the fact that the three generations were living in adjoining houses given that the backyards were already joined? Our response was a "room bridge" that would link the two houses in one simple gesture

Taking an approach divergent from heritage conservation or restoration, the existing buildings were taken as "found objects" devoid of representational connotations. We focussed on the material qualities of the existing rooms and their own logic. One of the "spare rooms" was reconfigured as a bedroom for the teenage granddaughter and an old over-sized laundry was transformed into a barrier-free bathroom. A series of communal spaces - a music room and a study - were used to connect the houses while providing a buffer zone between the two private and fully independent dwellings. These moves incorporate the unused spaces without transforming the two dwellings into one big, shared house. All members of the family can now live, work and study without tripping over each other

The project investigates concepts of closeness and distance between generations - family oriented interaction versus retreat into private spaces. It allows the family to benefit from the advantages of inter-generational living - such as mutual support and ageing in place - without losing their sense of independence and individuality

The project also explores important notions of sustainability and housing affordability. As in Oriol Bohigas "Benign Metastasis" strategy - where concrete and limited interventions can radically regenerate their surrounding - a series of small-scale interventions are employed to transform the existing building stock. With only 14m² of new footprint and careful internal micro-interventions, the project radically changes the configuration of two existing Edwardian houses

The insertion of a range of non-specific, non-hierarchical spaces with a degree of continuity and indetermination makes a more flexible way of habitation possible. This is suitable for both multi-generational living and ageing in place. Moreover it fosters non-traditional forms of living such as shared living, working from home and perhaps other future scenarios... This intervention represents an alternative to the omnipresent "back extension for a growing family" model promoted by the current real estate market and mass media - a non-sustainable housing stereotype that is based on over-sized, hierarchical, rigid spaces...