Multi-Generation Houses: Extended Family’s Comeback

You get on better together – that is the people’s motto who team up in order to live altogether in multi-generation houses. Young and old feel attracted by the idea of living in a vivid house community where neighbours have more in common than a “hello” in the hallway.

1.11.2009

Tabea feels comfortable about
sitting on Renate Dietrich's lap.

Tabea likes sitting on Renate Dietrich’s lap. Maybe because of the calm the 62 years old woman exudes, maybe because of the chocolate she shares with the one year old girl. Granddaughter and grandma? No, these two are residents of the SUN multi-generation house in Aachen.

SUN is the abbreviation for „Selbstbestimmt Und Nachbarschaftlich“, which means „self-determined and neighbourly“. A young family, six couples and four single women, all of different age, live together in order to aid one another – each in his own flat and still altogether.

„Multi-generation houses are booming in Germany“, says Rolf Novy-Huy, executive of the Trias foundation. At www.wohnprojekte-portal.de, a web site which has been initiated by Trias, 124 multi-generation houses are presented. “I think, there are more than 1,000 throughout Germany meanwhile”, says Novy-Huy. The exact number is unknown. Trias informs people about alternative living arrangements and supports them in realizing their own projects.

The boom of multi-generation houses is a consequence of social and demographical developments. “Traditional families are crumbling away, people are not still deeply rooted in one place because of a changing working world. Moreover, they are constantly growing older”, explains Novy-Huy. Multi-generation living wants to prevent isolation and bring old and young together again.

The occupants of the SUN house like sitting on their patio. Axel and Renate Dietrich, Tabea, Dagmar Görressen-Heins, Margret Gielsdorf, Hansjürgen Hagemann, Susanne Bertling and Jana (from left to right).

Also Renate Dietrich was sick of living alongside their neighbours instead of with them. “I wanted a vital house community, where everybody aids one another and feels comfortable”, she says. She took notice of multi-generation houses because of a TV report and was immediately thrilled by the idea.

The search for fellows and a suitable building site took a long time and was not always easy, though. Steady nerves were also needed for the realization of the building. “Despite everything, there is also good to this time. We got to know each other because of the conflicts we carried out. This made the group grow together”, believes Hansjürgen Hagemann. He is the chairman of the proSUN association, which has been founded by the occupants. “Sometimes the ideas were too different. You have to be ready to compromise and you must also fit to the group.” That is why some backed out of the project.

„The banal things spell most of the trouble”, says Renate Dietrich’s husband Axel. “One wants the lawn to be mowed once a week, one thinks, every three weeks is sufficient.” But whereas in consequence of these conflicts tenants of normal houses pass without a word of greeting, the SUN members learned to talk about it. A mediator helped them to create a good communication level which allows coming to a compromise.

The SUN multi-generation house in Aachen.

„People at the age of 50 and older are more interested in such living arrangements”, says Renate Dietrich. That is due to the fact that young families have generally more contacts and - in consequence - less interest in a vivid house community. That is one of the reasons why Tabea, her four years old sister Jana and her parents are still the only young family in the SUN multi-generation house. “We were thrilled by the idea since there were no older persons among our friends. We wanted to broaden our’s mind”, said Tabeas mother Susanne Bertling.

Margret Gielsdorf, who is one of the oldest in the SUN house, had some reservations in the beginning. “The expectations of the others were too high. I felt completely overchallenged.” Renate Dietrich smiles. “I guess some of us were a little bit too euphoric in the formation phase.” Everyday life brought them back down to earth. They have breakfast altogether in the common room on Sundays once a month and a social evening on Thursdays. Sometimes they have dinner, walk or paint together. They try to help one another. One watches the children, the other one does the shopping. “Everything is settling down bit by bit”, says Renate Dietrich and snuggles Tabea on her lap.

Sonja Endres
REHACARE.de