An Intergenerational Live/Work Housing Block

For now, it is inevitable that you will continue to grow old. By 2050 there will be more over people over the age of 65 than under the age of 16’s living in the UK. This demographical shift is causing a reshuffling in the priorities of urban designers and architects alongside policymakers; to help tackle the arguably ‘underlying age-ism’ that does currently characterise old age pensioners as passive victims of developing architectural development and urbanisation. Alongside this the younger generations are suffering from expensive housing and long commutes or poor working from home circumstances.

This project aims to focus on connecting all generations within one block allowing them to co-exist and create opportunities for each other. Giving the care staff and city workers an opportunity to work from home or closer to work. Allowing for a community to grow within this pocket of the city that can be self sustaining and progressive and if the site was to be replicated throughout the city it could allow for a wider range of demographics and collaborations.

The building creates a hierarchy of dwellings defined by the needs of the users, with the residential care home on the base and then the co living accommodation aimed at graduate’s at the top. However by incorporating their communal and working spaces they can become homogenised and build on the strengths and knowledge of others. The building allows for working, living, sharing to become seamless as the units are adjustable based on the needs of the users inhabiting it at the time be that co working, living, or working from home.

Throughout this project I have learned that it is not the spaces that dictate in what way we should live but instead when given your own space to project your needs and nature on to the spaces each become totally unique based on the users. This is the same for how it can maintain an exciting form as the grid created modularity in the care home and this in turn creates more options.