Designing for Multi-Generational Living

Moderator: Paul Burton
Speakers: Amy Degenhart LFRAIA; Kerry and Lindsay Clare; Heather Shearer

Multi-generational living is not new - all of us grew up in households with at least two generations and sometimes more. But we have become more used to moving home as our households change – like downsizing when the kids move out. As the housing crisis deepens, more of us are re-examining the case for two or three generations living together again under one roof.

In this panel discussion we’ll explore some of the practical ways to approach harmonious multi-generational living, such as designing better private and shared spaces. We’ll also look at some of the regulatory hurdles that can get in the way of living this way and how to deal with them.

The discussion will be moderated by Paul Burton, Emeritus Professor of Urban Management and Planning at Griffith University.

Speaker Bios

Amy Degenhart, is an award-winning Gold Coast architect and developer of innovative homes in Queensland. She says: Multi-generational living has been in my family for generations. Amy is currently working on embedding secondary dwellings in project homes, designing Exempt Primary and Secondary dwellings on small lots, developing the Pocket Home, or Teilhause.

Dr Heather Shearer is a Lecturer at Griffith University and has been researching tiny house living in Australia for over a decade. As well as examining how planning and building regulations can make ‘unconventional living’ very difficult, she is also working on how to reform these regulations to make them fit for purpose and suited to current conditions.

Lindsay and Kerry Clare are an award-winning husband and wife architectural team who have been producing outstanding buildings for over thirty years. Most recently they have designed four autonomous but connected homes on a Gold Coast block of only 800m2, that could house up to 20 people. Their work demonstrates vividly how high-quality design lays the foundation for successful multi-generational living.