The design of the four townhouses starts with the restriction imposed by the 2,000 SF maximum size per dwelling, above which the need for additional parking spaces is triggered, and which is also commensurate with the local real estate market, as well as with the minimum width any such townhouse would need to have workable room sizes that are not too small. To sell them as fee-simple units with no common areas and no homeowner association, the four lots resulting from subdividing the parcel into four separate tracts must also comply with the lot coverage and open space requirements for each.

With this in mind, we arrive at the typical 22 Ft width for all four townhouses, which allows for the two bedrooms at the back of the Second Floor to have a reasonable width, and for a Kitchen and Dining grand room downstairs ample enough to accommodate a spacious Kitchen with an island, plus a dining room set for eight with a sideboard or buffet table. That width also happens to be the minimum for townhouses under the applicable zoning designation. 

The next set of considerations has to do with the site itself. Notice that its front is right on Sheridan Street, with only a narrow concrete sidewalk and no landscaping strip or parkway between the property line and two lanes of fast vehicular traffic.  There is a curve at the intersection with SW 2 Avenue that defines the perimeter and carries the minimum yard setback line with it. There is also the alley in the back, which gives the opportunity to access the Garages from behind, as in London's terrace houses, Coral Gables’ townhouses, and those of most neo-urbanist towns. The neighborhood is in transition, evolving towards a more gentrified, higher-end version of itself, but not there yet. It is also surprisingly closer than expected to the beaches of Dania and Hollywood, as well as the intracoastal waterway, which all have a lifestyle related to appealing water sports and maritime activities a mere 5-min drive away.

The proposed design starts by making sure each townhouse has a series of outdoor spaces with separate purposes of their own, as well as an interior program resulting in dwellings with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, featuring plenty of storage and well-lit spaces with optimized circulation. The typical townhouse is approached from Sheridan Street through the front garden, which provides a buffer between the hustle and bustle of the collector road and the more private realm of the residences, behind the metal fence, slightly recessed from the front property line to allow for a hedge that would cover it and provide a visually softer edge, while also allowing the person entering to unlock the front gate without obstructing pedestrian traffic along the sidewalk. The logical orientation of the townhouses, facing the principal frontage along Sheridan Street, has a Southern exposure that if undealt with would bring a lot of sun and heat inside between late morning and sunset. To address this effectively, and to provide for a clear separation that preserves privacy between families living in such proximity, particularly on the Second Floor where the Master Bedrooms are proposed, the demising walls extend out to the front at an angle reminiscing that of main sails or flying jibs, blocking the late afternoon sun outright. The void thus created between these allows for a Ground Floor Porch and a Second Floor covered Balcony. These spaces not only shade the floor-to-ceiling glass fenestration but provide for a location where to sit in front, in a more social setting for safe passersby engagement downstairs, and in a more private one upstairs.

Rather than ignoring or fighting off the curve at the street intersection, the corner townhouse rhymes with it, providing a graceful end to the visually poignant elements of the continuous balcony and its covering overhang, as they seem to cross through all demising wall parapets and wrap around in a swooshing gesture. The differing depths that penetrating porches and balconies carve out of the units' massing, respond to the need to take out square footage and arrive at the 2,000 SF target. They also extend the length and area of windows in the Living Room beyond the sheer width of the townhouses, bringing more indirect light in as it bounces from the side walls, and allowing for natural daylight to filter into the Second-Floor stair hall, otherwise too dark or requiring the additional expense of skylights for this kind of space. The curved corners, shaped up with straight windowpanes and standard angled mullions to keep costs in check, also support a curved, concrete parapet above that reminds of an expanding sail as it catches the wind, or when seeing all four units at once, of rhythmic sea waves as they come, one after the other. This is meant not only to break the rigid lines of the simple massing everywhere else, dictated by economic constraints, but also to build on the dynamism of the sweeping balconies and the corner curve, as well as the streamline, boat-like railings, and the maritime theme they all summon.

As for Floor Plan distribution, one enters each townhouse through the wide swing wood door directly into the large, well-lit Living with a 10 Ft ceiling headroom and a solid wall in front  (good Feng shui!) that is to receive the entertainment center and have the seating area cluster in front, allowing circulation to bypass it without having to cross through, interrupting conversations or TV watching. As one walks past it, the open passage to the back unveils an enfilade of spaces where the Dining, one of the Patio doors, outdoor Dining, and Garage door are on axis. This passage has the half bath at a location where it shields it the most from undesired Living and Dining Room sightlines, the A/C Air Handler Unit serving the Ground Floor, a large Pantry tucked in behind with easy access from the Kitchen, and a storage Closet under the Stair. The end of the passage unveils the full size of the grand room where both the Dining and Kitchen are located, with the latter discovered to the side as one walks in. The fact the Kitchen is shielded removes the burden of always keeping it in an impeccable state of pulchritude and order, as would have been otherwise the case had it been visible from the Living Room or integrated into a single space. With the proposed arrangement herein, the buyer has the option of restricting the more formal visits to the Living Room and allowing his or her closer circle into the Kitchen, seating at the island in a more informal setting. 

The Patio behind provides light and ventilation to the townhouse from the rear, and a setting for barbecues and al aperto dining in the privacy afforded by side walls and tall hedges. As one climbs up the spiral stairs onto the Garage rooftop terrace, one notices planter boxes providing an additional barrier between dwellings and further shielding views down. Instead of built-in planters that are more expensive and prone to water leaks, we are proposing planter boxes on both sides of demising parapets. Besides thus removing the leak proclivity, having these on each side warrants that each owner will water and take care of his or her plants.

Back inside and on the Second Floor, the stairs take occupants up into the more open circulation hall where the laundry closet is at. The top landing and starting point of passage faces the door to the secondary Bath, to be shared by the two smaller Bedrooms to the right, each with a decent Walk-in Closet. On the left, passing by the Laundry, is the door to the Master Bedroom suite. As one enters it, the floor-to-ceiling fenestration on the side gently curves towards the front, inviting one to walk in and further discover the ample bedroom area and the balcony outside. Access to the dresser and Walk-in Closet is discreetly placed at the opposite corner, and as one meanders through it the very private Master Bathroom is unveiled at the core, with its back wall shared with that of the secondary Bath behind (above which would be the flat "pancake" A/C Air Handler Unit servicing the Second Floor) for a more efficient plumbing layout. The ample shower with a built-in seat and the toilet are enclosed in glass for a more luxurious setting, and a long vanity with two vessel sinks and a full wall mirror complete it.