Program Summary:

Four new infill apartment buildings which introduce the townhouse typology into an urban core of the city of Miami without on-site parking for the first time in 50 years.

Each apartment townhouse is three stories tall and 4,500 square feet in size with (2) two-bedroom and (2) efficiency/one bedroom units. The front and back facades are open and the sides are party walls. At 25’-0” wide, these townhouses can be repeated to fit the typical Miami building lot. The building structure is composed of reinforced concrete block masonry with cast-in-place concrete slabs.

Parking Exemption:

This project is composed of townhouses which are less than 10,000 square feet in size and as a result of the City of Miami’s new code amendment are exempt from providing parking on site. Over the years, parking requirements have risen:from one parking space per unit to 1.7 spaces per unit (essentially 2 per unit). This causes residential buildings to become more expensive to build and forces developers to build for a more affluent buyer. This insidious zoning requirement incentivizes gentrification and makes affordable housing financially undesirable.

Program Statement:

Located in the heart of a diverse city and designed to be true infill housing, these apartment townhouses are conceived as a prototype for the city. As compact urban buildings, these structures can be built incrementally over time on small or large lots. The urban townhouse is an alternative to the suburb house and the high-rise, one that provides an urban fabric that engages the street and supports richness of city life.

This discrete infill project reconciles a highly restricted urban site and embraces its potential repeatability. As a repeatable unit, it becomes an urban proposition, one that maintains the character of an existing neighborhood and supports the life of the street. While this project is for just four townhouses it is conceived as a repeatable typology that can to absorb the complexities of a growing city and diverse population.

Material Used :
1. GAF EverGuard - Roof membrane
2. Tremco Vulkem - Balcony concrete waterproof coating
3. Bilco S Series - Roof Hatch
4. Tecnoglass ESWindows - Windows and sliding doors
5. Gensteel Doors - Storefront and doors
6. Birdview Skylights - Skylights
7. Sherwin-Williams - Paint for exterior, interior, and trim
8. Montana Gold - Spray paint for stairwell stencil
9. American Standard - Kitchen sink
10. MainCraft - Bathroom sink
11. Bootz - Tubs
12. Delta - Kitchen faucet, bathroom faucets and accessories
13. Kichler - Lights in apartment halls and closets
14. RAB - Lights on stoop, stairwell, and balconies
15. SLV - Lights in apartment kitchens
16. Ralph Lauren Home - Lights in lobbies and apartment bathrooms
17. Rheem - HVAC in apartments
18. Mitsubishi Electric - HVAC in stairwells
19. Ames - Backflow preventers
20. Fi-Foil - Foil insulation
21. Linear - Access control keypads
22. Whirlpool - Fridge, range and hood, dishwasher, washer, dryer
23. Haier - Washer/dryer combo
24. EZ Access - Handicap lifts
25. Marca Corona - Tile for kitchen backsplash and bathroom floor
26. Salsbury - Mailboxes
27. Carl Stahl DecorCable - Trellis mesh
28. Rheem - Water Heater
29. Meek - Bathroom mirrors