18/06/2026
🏡 Across the Atlantic, American families are increasingly embracing “family compounds” — multiple dwellings on a single estate that allow extended families to live close while preserving privacy and independence.
Recent data shows the scale of this shift. Pew Research Center reports that the share of Americans living in multigenerational households more than doubled from 7% in 1971 to 18% in 2021 (nearly 60 million people). The National Association of Realtors recorded a new high in 2025, with 17% of homebuyers purchasing specifically for multigenerational living. Families cite the desire for mutual support, easier caregiving across generations, meaningful daily connection, and significant cost savings as key drivers. The result is often a thoughtfully masterplanned estate with shared gardens, pools or recreational spaces, and individual homes or wings that give each generation its own front door.
Here in the UK we face strikingly similar pressures: high housing costs, an ageing population, stretched social care services, and a growing recognition that isolation harms wellbeing for both young and old. Around 1.8 million UK households already contain two or more adult generations, and surveys consistently show strong public appetite — with many families open to arrangements that combine closeness with independence. The traditional granny annexe remains popular, yet the US compound model offers a compelling larger-scale vision for families with access to suitable plots, particularly in rural or edge-of-settlement locations.
We believe this trend could translate beautifully to the UK when guided by intelligent design. Architecture has a vital role to play in creating homes that feel both connected and private, that meet lifetime homes standards, navigate planning frameworks creatively, and deliver long-term environmental and financial value. Whether through sensitively scaled family compounds on larger sites, cohesive clusters of dwellings, or highly adaptable single homes designed for future annexe additions, the opportunity exists to build genuine family legacies rather than just houses.
At Humber Architecture, we are passionate about designing multigenerational solutions that work— balancing connection and autonomy, sustainability and beauty, and the practical realities of planning and construction.
If your family is exploring multigenerational living we would be delighted to discuss how we can help. www.humberarchitecture.co.uk