The New Domestic: Designing for Multi-generational Living
Concept: Retrofitting for Mutligenerational living
The Extension Site
The Mirror Site
The Built - In Site
The New Domestic is an investigation into multi-generational housing. Owning a single-family suburban home was once the American dream. This dream transformed into a social, economic, and ecological nightmare. The New Domestic confronts the need to transform inadequate suburban summer houses in Laurence Harbor, New Jersey to long lasting multi-generational homes for varied, but specific family structures.
This retrofitting of existing homes aims to allow social bonds to be strengthened within families and communities, ensure economic security as it allows extended definitions of family to pool resources and share equity, and prioritize ecological mindfulness through the reuse and adaptations of existing houses and transforming them into new domestic spaces.
The New Domestic takes place in Laurence Harbor, New Jersey. It was a town that was designed for upper middle class to have second homes right off the Raritan Bay coastline. In the 60’s, slag was used to construct the seawall along the Raritan Bay. The slag included lead and other hazardous materials, which contaminated the surrounding enviroment. Once the high-middle class moved out, low-income families moved in. Although the coastline is not usable due to the contamination, all these homes are to stay within the ownership of low-income families helping them in the future. The New Domestic aims to dismantle the idea of a home for the nuclear family. Homes can no longer be a “one size fits all”.
The Extension
Residents: 2 Parents, 3 Children, 2 Partners, 1 Niece, and 4 Dogs
The Mirror
Residents: 2 Divorced Parents, 1 Child, and 1 Nephew
The Built In
Residents: 2 Parents, 2 Grandparents, 1 Child, and 1 Cat
West Side
East Side Roof