Multi-Generational House Design: Zhongli Peng’s Residence by WEN Architect

A New Model for Family-Centered Living in Taiwan

Zhongli Peng’s Residence, designed by WEN Architect, represents a groundbreaking approach to multi-generational house design in Taiwan’s industrial urban zones. Located in Taoyuan City, the 244-square-meter home seeks to redefine the conventions of standardized metropolitan housing by fostering interaction, adaptability, and continuity between family generations. Surrounded by factories, schools, parks, and shops, the house serves as a joyful counterbalance—a place where shared memory and future promise can coexist.

Driven by the intention to blur the lines between private sanctuaries and communal areas, the residence creates a warm, inclusive setting that evolves with the rhythms of daily life. The design team reimagines the home as a Ferris wheel, in which every space and moment carries potential transformation.

Theatre, Barn, and the Spatial Performance of Family Life

At the heart of the residence lies an architectural narrative inspired by theatre and barn structures. The main living area acts like a stage, inviting spontaneous interaction and movement between its inhabitants. Much like an auditorium, the layout allows for multiple “audiences” to engage or withdraw, reflecting how family dynamics shift throughout the day.

The home also draws conceptual strength from the barn, particularly in how it divides space vertically. The lower portion of the home is porous and organic—open to interaction, adaptable for play and gathering. The upper portion, however, offers a more intimate experience. This “penthouse” retreat is imbued with symbolism, representing a space of maturity and continuity—like the golden harvest of a barn. It embodies the philosophy of offering a foundation for aging parents, a supportive platform for adults, and room to grow for children.

Seamless Vertical Living and Layered Social Connections

Unlike many conventional homes where each floor feels isolated, this house features an inventive circulation strategy. Its open stair configuration deliberately eliminates rigid floor separations, allowing light, sightlines, and social connection to flow vertically. Each level contributes to a collective spatial experience, making it easy for family members to naturally cross paths and converse.

The public-to-private transition starts at the street and alley, gradually moving into the central living zones and finally into secluded areas. Residents can easily shift between solitude and community—mirroring the unpredictability of a neighborhood street where people encounter each other in passing.

Redefining Space for the Elderly

Traditionally in Taiwanese housing, elderly residents are given rear ground-floor rooms for convenience, often sacrificing quality of life. WEN Architect challenges this norm by relocating the elderly suite to a more uplifting position above the entryway. With enhanced ceiling height and a sun-drenched balcony, this space connects visually and physically to the street, allowing the senior resident to remain engaged with the surrounding neighborhood.

The decision elevates both the literal and symbolic presence of older generations in the household, making aging a celebrated, visible, and integrated part of family life.

A Spiraling Future for Growing Families

The uppermost levels of the house contain a spiral sequence of rooms designed for the two children. This layout not only makes daily routines more playful but also provides future adaptability. The design anticipates the arrival of new family members, ensuring that the top floor can be fully partitioned and made autonomous.

From morning chats between siblings to private study nooks and sleeping areas, this segment of the home reinforces the central thesis of multi-generational house design—each generation has its own rhythm, yet all are woven into one evolving narrative.

A Home That Grows With Its Inhabitants

Zhongli Peng’s Residence offers a poetic reinterpretation of what a family home can be. It is not merely a structure that accommodates people; it is a space that listens, adapts, and grows. Through theatre-inspired interaction, barn-like hierarchy, and thoughtful circulation, WEN Architect creates an emotionally intelligent, spatially dynamic house.

As Taiwanese cities face increasing uniformity in housing, this project stands as a beacon for joyful, intergenerational, human-centered architecture. It proves that multi-generational house design is not just a necessity—it can be visionary, emotive, and deeply personal.

All Photographs are works of YU TZU CHIN