Middle House

This ‘inverse granny flat’ seeks to revive dwindling notions of the extended family. Designed and built by the occupants, ‘Middle House’ sits within a larger co-housing project, forming a link between two families and three generations.

Here the ‘granny flat’ is neither afterthought nor compromise and it’s the young family of four who occupy it while grandma and grandad take the existing street-level house. The other two grandparents live next door, sharing a rear boundary. At its core the design of this ‘forever home’ is driven by social needs and seeks to provide stability and belonging in the context of an inner-city suburb that is rapidly gentrifying.

We hope this might spark the imagination of those who are finding status quo models of home ownership lacking.

‘Middle House’ was shortlisted for the 2022 Houses Awards in the New house under 200m2, Sustainability, and Emerging architecture practice categories.