When a family in China approached architectural firm AZL Architects to create a house that could accommodate four generations, they probably didn’t expect that a wheelchair ramp would become the main design element.
But that’s what they got with Song House, a modern three-story, five-bedroom home made of concrete in the rural town of Nansong, China. The house was designed for four generations: a 50-something couple and three older relatives, some of whom occasionally need wheelchairs. There’s also space for the couple’s daughter, her husband, and their child.
According to the architects, the idea is that everyone can feel connected when they want to, but enjoy privacy when they don’t. As populations age around the world, this AZL Architects design offers a compelling model of the future of housing: homes designed not just for able-bodied, nuclear families, but for the different needs that span multiple generations.