The Modern Townhouse

Townhouses are some of the most interesting features of modern urban architecture. Below we present a selection of newly designed townhouses, unconventional architectural concepts in terraced housing for cosmopolitan families. The main feature of these houses is the imaginative use of space and the creative way in which natural light is allowed to enter.

A townhouse is a residence that many find combines the best amenities of a single–family home and a condominium. By definition, a townhouse is a home that is attached to adjacent houses, which sits upon land that you own. THE MODERN TOWNHOUSE will look at three types of town house projects that are increasingly popular in urban areas and close–in suburbia: 1) Renovation of existing town houses. This is a particularly popular activity in older, urban neighborhoods undergoing re–gentrification. Eighteenth and nineteenth century "shells" long in disrepair, are being gutted and totally modernized 2) Vacant lots, primarily in the inner cities, but also in close–in suburban neighborhoods where zoning restricts high rise housing, are being filled with four or five town houses that are built perpendicular to the street, usually in neighborhoods where the lot size would normally accommodate only one, detached house. This activity is in response to the increasing demand for urban housing where high land prices mandate multifamily housing solutions. 3) New, one–off townhouses, that are found primarily in wealthier neighborhoods where the high land cost can be recovered with a single, luxury town home. The book will be divided into these three categories and feature project from around the country including Baltimore, San Diego, San Francisco, Miami, and in smaller metropolitan areas.

This volume shows the great architectural diversity of townhouses, the ideal starting point for new approaches to urban living.

New Townhouse Plans contains more than 250 floor and elevation plans, as well as constructive details of 38 housing projects. These plans and projects are perfect constructions in tiny pieces of the city's urban ground.

Continuing her exploration of English interiors, Ros Byam Shaw visits 14 distinctive townhouses full of charm, character and style. In Perfect English Townhouse, Ros Byam Shaw examines the timeless English style of decoration in a variety of Georgian, Victorian, and contemporary townhouses. Architecturally, these tall, narrow properties present challenges. How do you make the best of a basement kitchen with a low ceiling and little light? Or allocate space effectively when you live across five floors? And how do you maximize any outdoor space? Perfect English Townhouse features case studies of such homes, not only in London but also in the provincial towns and cities of England. Some feel like little corners of countryside surrounded by sidewalks, others have a more sophisticated urban allure; some are endearingly quirky, others more classical. All the interiors featured are interesting, inspiring, and reflect the personalities of the people who live in them. These are the kinds of spaces that most of us are familiar with, and that many of us occupy. What is unusual is how cleverly and creatively these examples have been decorated and designed, in the Perfect English style.

Jack Madigan should be leading an enviable life. He’s the sole heir of a ’70s rock icon. He lives with his retro-obsessed teenage son, Harlan, in a once-magnificent Boston town house. But now 36, Jack’s painting career is buckling under a raging case of agoraphobia. And when the foreclosure notice arrives, Jack must face losing the only home he’s ever known—and his only safe zone. When Jack’s ex-wife announces that Harlan would be better off living with her and her vitamin-enriched fiancé, Jack has to figure out how to deter the perky, inexperienced real-estate agent, hold on to his house, keep his son at home, and—through the tenacity of the little girl next door—finally step out onto the sidewalk. Fox 2000 swooped in to pre-empt the film rights while Town House was still on submission to publishers. Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions is set to produce the movie and Pulitzer Prize-winning screenwriter Doug Wright (Memoirs of a Geisha) is adapting the screenplay. A book with the ability to both entertain and move us, Town House is a smart, acerbic novel bursting with heart and quirky charm.

Combining an inventive spirit with an erudite grasp of architectural history, Peter Pennoyer Architects has been designing elegant, classically based homes in both urban and country settings for two decades. Twenty of the firm's residential projects are featured in this sumptuously illustrated volume, ranging from a triplex in New York to a Spanish Colonial Revival house in San Francisco, from a farmhouse in Virginia to a ranch house in New Mexico. Guided by Peter Pennoyer and Anne Walkers illuminating text, the reader will derive great appreciation for the firm's implementation of classical traditions and skilful adaptation of timeless design to modern life.

Newport, Rhode Island, blessed with stunning ocean vistas and constant sea breezes, is home to some of the most exceptional private residences in America. Its deeply rooted history makes it a perennial destination, with more than 3.5 million visitors each year. Although it is one of the most high profile towns in the country, Newport is also one of the most cloistered. Private Newport: At Home and in the Garden offers an invitation to venture beyond the privet hedges and massive iron gates. It is the first book to step inside the privately owned mansions to reveal a diverse collection of architectural jewels complemented by spectacular gardens. These homes, created by distinguished architects and landscape designers, are stunning examples of Newport's 375-year "old-world" heritage. Eighteen exquisite and unique homes are prominently featured-from the resilient crescent curve of majestic Seafair, which withstood the Hurricane of '38, to the prizewinning Japanese garden at Wildacre, to the nostalgic working farm of heritage breeds at Swiss Village-each contributing its own part to the "Eden of America."