Archinect
Russell Higgins

Russell Higgins

New York, NY, US

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Everyone's a Master Suite
Everyone's a Master Suite

Everyone's a Master Suite

Actually, EVERYBODY's Suite.

Enabling the NEW NUCLEAR FAMILY!

I'm going to get all folksie here on you....

In the olden days, say, up until WWI / WWII, most families lived together as extended families.

It was only AFTER WWII, in the decades of unbridled prosperity, vision and hope that ended in the 80's and 90's (sour grapes warning - what else started happening in the 80'$ and 90'SSSSS - get the hint?) that the 'dream' of universal home ownership for every household was born (and I include renting an apt. as home ownership - a place solely yours to live in).

Those days are gone.  The Great Recession, which for 20 million under and unemployed heads of households, continues to this day, has thrown millions out of their homes, and back into their parents homes - or kept them from ever leaving.

Now it's nice to believe we can all live, 2 or 3 generations, together in peace and harmony, like we used to.  However, this is not the world it used to be.  In this day and age, far more "seperation" is expected and needed to maintain the peace of mind of all.  See a sociolgist and psychologist re this, it's true.  The only way this is going to happen for most is to "Suite Up".  Turning their homes into a series of suites for the various generations in residence.  Sure, they'll be 'communal' areas where much time will be spent, but, the suites will allow that mental space, feeling of independence, of ownership even, responsibility for ones self that we all need.

It's ARCHITECTURE addressing one of, if not the most pressing SOCIAL NEEDS of our time.  The need for multi-generational housing will only increase as more and more of our older workers are impoverished through unemploy and underemployment, forced into early retirement, etc. with the result that they will have insufficent time to save for retirement, pay off their mortgages, etc. and I can attest, SS is NOT ENOUGH TO LIVE ON, especially if ANY money is going to rent, high school taxes, etc..

 
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Status: Under Construction
Location: Catskill, NY, US
My Role: Architect, Imagineer
Additional Credits: Walt Disney