Sunny skies, warm days, and a new place to make memories
Photo of a large modern three-storey grey townhouse exterior in Portland with mixed siding, a gable roof and a shingle roof.

Extension and internal refurbishment in Kings Heath, Birmingham. We created a highly insulated and warm environment that is flooded with light.
Inspiration for a small contemporary one-storey grey townhouse exterior with stone veneer, a gable roof, a tile roof, a grey roof and shingle siding.

Large contemporary three-storey stucco grey townhouse exterior in Melbourne with a flat roof and a metal roof.

Sam Martin - 4 Walls Media
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary two-storey grey townhouse exterior in Melbourne with wood siding, a gable roof and a metal roof.

The incredible transformation of this South Slope Brooklyn Townhouse - designed and built by reBuild Workshop.
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary three-storey brick grey townhouse exterior in New York.

Photo by Hixson Studio
Design ideas for a small contemporary three-storey grey townhouse exterior in Other with metal siding and a flat roof.

courtyard, indoor outdoor living, polished concrete, open plan kitchen, dining, living Rowan Turner Photography
Design ideas for a small contemporary two-storey grey townhouse exterior in Sydney with a metal roof.

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary two-storey grey townhouse exterior in Nantes with wood siding, a gable roof, a tile roof, a brown roof and board and batten siding.

This mixed-income housing development on six acres in town is adjacent to national forest. Conservation concerns restricted building south of the creek and budgets led to efficient layouts. All of the units have decks and primary spaces facing south for sun and mountain views; an orientation reflected in the building forms. The seven detached market-rate duplexes along the creek subsidized the deed restricted two- and three-story attached duplexes along the street and west boundary which can be entered through covered access from street and courtyard. This arrangement of the units forms a courtyard and thus unifies them into a single community. The use of corrugated, galvanized metal and fiber cement board – requiring limited maintenance – references ranch and agricultural buildings. These vernacular references, combined with the arrangement of units, integrate the housing development into the fabric of the region. A.I.A. Wyoming Chapter Design Award of Citation 2008 Project Year: 2009

Design ideas for a contemporary three-storey glass grey townhouse exterior in Paris with a flat roof.

Kath Heke
Design ideas for a small traditional one-storey grey townhouse exterior in Brisbane with wood siding, a gable roof and a metal roof.

Lightbox 23 is a modern infill project in inner NE Portland. The project was designed and constructed as a net zero building and has been certified by Earth Advantage. Photo credit: Josh Partee Photography

The project includes 8 townhouses (that are independently owned as single family homes), developed as 4 individual buildings. Each house has 4 stories, including a large deck off a family room on the fourth floor featuring commanding views of the city and mountains beyond

Benny Chan
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern three-storey grey townhouse exterior in Los Angeles with concrete fiberboard siding, a flat roof and a green roof.

Andrew Meredith
This is an example of a mid-sized industrial two-storey brick grey townhouse exterior in London with a flat roof and a mixed roof.

This is a townhouse complex for an artist - includes a studio/living apartment for the artist and a rental apartment.
Photo of a mid-sized industrial three-storey concrete grey townhouse exterior in Melbourne with a flat roof and a mixed roof.

Two story townhouse with angles and a modern aesthetic with brick, render and metal cladding. Large black framed windows offer excellent indoor outdoor connection and a large courtyard terrace with pool face the yard.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

Photo of a traditional three-storey grey townhouse exterior in Richmond with a hip roof and a tile roof.