The developer of this urban infill project desired to complete the second phase of an early 1980s ‘suburban townhouse’ development located in Downtown Knoxville. The design intent of this later phase focused on a more traditional row house layout found in larger urban areas while gathering regional design influence from the last remaining row houses within Knoxville’s urban neighborhoods. The contemporary townhouse aesthetic proposed by SPA focuses on the application of appropriate exterior materials for its downtown context while also creating a more marketable and unique product for the developer.
Our team leveraged the site’s generous vantage points to develop a rowhouse section that created three district exterior spaces per unit. The first became a traditional brownstone style recessed courtyard; the second introduced a traditional balcony overlooking the historic depot district and its rail lines, and the third established an expected urban rooftop/garden with panoramic views capturing the entire center city. The slope of the site was carefully considered to allow for private garages to be accessed at the rear of each unit, thus allowing the rowhouses remain contextual in scale to surrounding structures.
Each unit is organized around a central interior stair that provides connections between floors and brings daylight into the center of the building through large windows located in the rooftop penthouse. The spaces were further organized by the specific views available from the site. The living area and master suite are oriented north, with views to the mountains, and the dining area and bedrooms are oriented south, with views to downtown. The interior’s specific viewsheds to both the mountains and the city has elevated Cityhouse to be one of the most compelling urban dwelling projects in Knoxville.
