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" I like being alone as long as my friends keep me from feeling lonely."

The Countess Olenska, ‘The Age of Innocence’ by Edith Wharton

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The global pandemic brought our lifestyles and housing choices into sharp focus.

Senior housing facilities around the world were hit hard, regardless of their cost,

and our children and teens retreated into video games, narrowing their worlds to online spaces.

The mental health of many young people took a nosedive in the face of isolation.

 

As a society, we began to place greater emphasis on our overall well-being, from diet and exercise to outdoor activities.

Now is the time to rethink and reinvent the concept of 'living together, but separately.'

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ALone TOgether Homes

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This idea isn’t new.

Ancient homes in Asia, Persia, and India followed a similar pattern

: compound homes where multiple households coexisted, each maintaining a level of autonomy.

In recent years, media coverage has highlighted compound homes

for retirees and widows in Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

LGBT couples are also adopting this model, raising children in shared spaces with common values.

Major think tanks globally are researching the benefits of multigenerational and intergenerational living,

citing its advantages in terms of economy, mental health, education, and the strengthening of community bonds.

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At Bricolage, we are defining these as AL(one)-TO(gether) HOMES.

We are developing three prototypes:

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Single Compound Home:

2-3 households sharing one lot with complete autonomy.

Shared indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces, athletic areas, and home offices/art spaces.

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Multiple Compound Homes Vertically Stacked:

2 households per floor, connected by indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces.

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Gated Community of Single Compound Homes:

Shared childcare and eldercare facilities, community gardens, urgent care/medical offices, pop-up grocery farmstead stores, and pop-up restaurants.

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Our goal is to research, develop, and educate communities about these home types, adaptable to various socio-economic and cultural contexts.