DECEMBER 12, 2014 EDWARD YU SUPERVISOR: BENJAMIN DILLENBURGER
the MULTI PLEX a thesis the explores how we can design desirable households that serve a wide variety of users
Standard housing is STATIC yet people are DYNAMIC, it’s time to understand that famlies GROW and SHRINK, needs CHANGE and consequently, housing has an opportunity to embrace these changes as well.
Toronto is populated by many post-wars homes, heavily constrained by a standard grid, and needs to intensify to accommodate future growth. Infill housing is a feasible option.
Canadian Families are rapidly evolving, now more than ever, there isn’t a single “typical” typology and neither can there be ONE single housing type.
MULTI_HOUSE FROM MULTI-GENERATION TO MULTI-FAMILY. LIVING UNDER ONE ROOF. The face of the Canadian family is changing and the nuclear family is no longer the norm, yet developer homes shy away from addressing the needs of larger, complex living arrangements. Modern living arrangements include: living alone, re-marriage with step-children, working from home, empty-nesters, and multiple families or generations all under one roof. These changes are placing immense pressure on the need to create houses that can adapt to and meet such indeterminate needs. A growing trend in Canada is for multigenerational families to reside together, but this suggests architectural design must reconcile the positives and negatives of collective living or else families will find it challenging to grow in place. This is why, now, more than ever, easily reconfigurable spaces should be standard within the inner city. Unfortunately, little housing is constructed with this flexibility in mind. This is an excellent time to explore an alternative form of infill housing for downtown Toronto’s long narrow lots. Many houses on these lots are starved of natural light and in a state of disrepair, and fail at housing current and future living arrangements. This thesis explores the notion that a household will change over time, and proposes a strategy to meet the growing needs of changing users.
what we are looking at
EXPLORING FLEXIBILITY TOOLS
expansion
division
addition
joining
slack space
circulatory space
dynamic walls
open spans
+ many more flexible construction
phased growth
service cores
partitions
HOW MULTI HOUSE WORKS
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CREATING ACCESS
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CREATING DIVIDERS
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Creating zones
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BeDROOMS
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NATURAL DAYLIGHTING
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SERVICING ZONES (BATHROOMS)
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SERVICING ZONES (KITCHENS)
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SERVICING ZONES (WASHER DRYER)
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A HOUSE OF MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES
A young family occupies the second and upper storey. They take advantage of the walk-up staircase and enter through the courtyard space. Instead of a second bedroom, the space is fitted with kitchen appliances and a larger spacious dining area naturally lit by skylights. The master bedroom is privately separated from the living area on the second floor. The living area can also be converted to accommodate guests staying over with a full-size bathroom.
The main floor is designed around accessibility and has three entry points. An elderly parent or family member can be care for while the rest of the family lives at the front room. A spacious dining and living area is available on the second storey for entertaining guests or hosting larger family gatherings. A spacious backyard, front bay windows and courtyard space provides plenty of natural light and ventilation.
The lowered basement is fully furnished with two entry points and a naturally lit front studio space. This is suitable for running a home office and sleeping quarters in back of house.
Due to the aging demographic, it is becoming increasingly popular for elderly family members to be taken care of by younger ones. However, it is important to address the accessibility needs of these members while affording privacy from other activities. Through the use of movable partitions, the elderly suite can be completely contained to offer restful sleep even in the middle of the day. Such designs offers the benefits of proximity for caregivers while allowing continued independence and aging in place.
As an added bonus, the basement suite is suitable as an income property due to the high tenancy demands of inner city homes. Until the family grows and demands more space, this unit with independent access can be even be rented as an Air BnB unit while the owner resides above.
The front basement space is largely lit by a deep light well and offers a pleasant home office environment, small retail needs or even a studio space. The idea is to create a flexible space that is capable of changing with the demands of the current and future trends.
MAXIMUM PRIVACY
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REALISTIC RELATIONSHIPS
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BRIDGING PRIVACY
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