Multigenerational Living: Reconfiguration of the Suburban House

We find ourselves in a socio-economic condition in which young adults struggle with housing unaffordability, high unemployment and rising living cost in the city, while parents rely on dual income and costly childcare and seniors battle with low pension and insufficient retirement savings. In response, all three generations begin residing in a single detached home in the suburbs. The core issue with conventional single-family suburban homes is that they are not designed to accommodate a large family. Shared spaces like the kitchen, bathrooms, and living room become points of conflict. To address this, my thesis investigates how a single-family suburban home can be reconfigured to become a flexible environment, capable of expanding and contracting to accommodate various family scenarios, while maintaining privacy and effective co-existence. Grounded in personal experience and design driven methodology, the project focuses on Post WW2 cookie cutter housing stock in Bells Corners, Ottawa.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Architecture

Grantor dc:publisher

Carleton University

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Tkach, Oksana Bohdanivna

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright © 2026 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, distribution to students, research and scholarship. Theses may only be shared by linking to the Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be copied without proper attribution to the author; no part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

10.22215/etd/2026-17141

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/45298