Beyond the Granny Flat: Designing for the New Era of Multi-Generational Living
By Sophie Whittakers, Managing Director, Austin Maynard Architects
As housing affordability continues to dominate headlines and our population ages, the way families choose to live together is fundamentally changing. At Austin Maynard Architects, we are constantly challenging traditional notions of the family home. Lately, one of the most exciting shifts we’ve seen is the evolution of multi-generational living.
We are moving away from the old model of the backyard "granny flat" and shifting towards highly integrated, thoughtfully designed homes that balance independence with community.
Here is a look at what’s driving this shift, and how architecture can help families strike the tricky balance between connection and privacy.
The Rise of the "Reverse" Granny Flat
Historically, the granny flat was exactly what it sounded like: a modest shed or self-contained box built in the backyard by adult children to house an aging parent. Today, the economic realities of housing have flipped the script. The older generation now holds the majority of property wealth, and rather than kids building a flat for their parents, parents are utilizing their assets to help their kids get a foothold in the housing market.
We call this multi-generational living in reverse.
A perfect example is our Terracotta House project. Our client, Belinda, purchased a property in inner-city Melbourne. Instead of building a massive single home, she built a beautiful, highly detailed, and sustainable home for herself at the rear of the block, and renovated the original front cottage for her son and daughter-in-law. It allowed her family to live in a vibrant community near their work, which they otherwise couldn't have afforded.
Furthermore, older generations have deep emotional attachments to their suburbs. They simply do not want to leave their communities for institutional care or the urban fringe. This is driving a desire for alternative housing models—whether that's subdividing a block to downsize into their own backyard (like our Parkside project) or moving into highly sustainable, community-focused apartment buildings like ParkLife and Terrace House, which essentially function as multi-generational vertical villages.
The Village Concept: Balancing Privacy and Connection
The secret to successful multi-generational living is creating the right balance of shared spaces and absolute autonomy. Living closely shouldn't mean living on top of each other.
At Terracotta House, rather than squeezing everyone under one roof, we created a "village compound." The two households are separated by a central productive garden and a shared communal pavilion. This pavilion acts as a "demilitarized zone"—functioning as a library, guest room, writer's studio, and laundry. It allows for spontaneous, incidental connection but ensures distinct visual and physical privacy when needed.
Conversely, when designing under a single roof, like our Charles House project (built for a family looking 25 years into the future), we integrated the secondary living space directly into the ground level of the home. We made it a highly adaptable space with its own garden access, rather than banishing it to the back fence.
Our top design tips for a balanced multi-generational home:
Create Neutral Zones: Shared courtyards, productive gardens, or multi-use pavilions act as a buffer and a natural, pressure-free meeting place.
Prioritize Acoustic and Visual Separation: Connection is great, but privacy is essential. Ensure that sightlines can be controlled and that sound transmission between the separate living quarters is heavily mitigated.
Look to Vertical Villages: These same principles apply brilliantly to apartment living. Buildings like ParkLife provide private, high-performing apartments alongside shared rooftop gardens, communal laundries, and open walkways, fostering community connection organically.
Futureproofing: Designing for Dignity and Joy
"Aging in place" is a core tenet of our practice. Futureproofing isn’t just about tacking on grab rails later in life; it’s about spatial flexibility, removing daily friction, and prioritizing dignity and joy in the home’s design from day one.
For our Yarra Bend project, our client wanted a forever home that would allow her to remain in her community. We designed the ground floor so it can easily transition into completely single-level living if mobility ever becomes an issue.
In The PentHouse, we retrofitted an apartment for grandparents who wanted a place where the whole family could come together. We eliminated the old “rabbit warren” floorplan to create clear, wide circulation paths, maximized natural light, and integrated massive amounts of highly ergonomic, accessible storage so that toys and everyday items could be easily reached and put away by all ages.
Our tips to ensure a futureproof home:
Design for "Smaller but Better": As we age, maintaining a massive suburban home becomes a burden. Focus on high-quality, highly efficient, and sustainable footprints that require low maintenance but offer high comfort.
Ensure Ground Floor Adaptability: Always ensure that a ground-floor room (perhaps a study or second living room today) can easily be converted into a master bedroom, with a fully accessible bathroom nearby.
Remove the Friction: Eliminate trip hazards with seamless indoor/outdoor transitions, widen doorways beyond the standard minimums, and prioritize passive thermal design so the home remains comfortably warm in winter and cool in summer without astronomical energy bills.