Meer Generatie Wonen
October 2023
Meer Generatie Wonen
Auguste van Oppen, Kirsten Hannema and Anouk Reintjens
BETA office for architecture and the city, Amsterdam
2023
The mixing of generations in the living environment is something very human; it has been since the dawn of time. Since the Industrial Revolution however, Western societies have adopted a more segregated way of living; something which is now testing the limits of what society can handle. To address the issue, BETA wrote “Meer Generatie Wonen”, a book on solidarity and how we can reincorporate intergenerational living in the built environment.
Henley Halebrown's Copper Lane is featured in the publication exploring how six households have together have realised a special co-living project. It looks at how the design plays on different layers with connection and privacy. For example, the houses are grouped around a common space, but they are oriented outwards. Subsequently, the open spaces around the houses are not used as private gardens, but once again collectively owned and used. The basement area is used for parties and as a communal laundry room; above it is a shared courtyard. The residents are united in an association that gives them control over the common elements of their project.