Taylor Street Townhouses
This complex of five townhouses looks north over a large park. The houses are configured in two blocks as a rear duplex of two and a front terrace of three, providing an appearance of two buildings on the (1,000m2) site, which is a similar development density to other properties in the area (predominantly one house per 500m2).
The rear houses are two bedroom and the front houses are three bedroom. All have a single garage or carport, and a shared driveway runs down the east side of the site. Courtyards are used for external living and entertaining, and full-height stacking doors are used to provide an easy link between living rooms and courtyards.
Stone and plastered concrete garden walls of varying heights, along with timber paling fences and strategic planting are used to delineate the external spaces for each dwelling, and the shared spaces. Windows for each dwelling are carefully positioned to provide interior privacy where needed but also to connect the houses with the shared spaces and create a strong sense of community and neighbourliness.
Exterior materials are off-white plaster, dark-stained weatherboards and natural stone. Lime-washed timber fences tie into the scheme, and provide a similar colour tone but a rough contrast to the smooth plaster on the houses.
Interior materials are white-painted plasterboard, timber floorboards, timber-veneer cabinetry, light grey carpets and off-white curtains. These work together to provide a calm, soft and warm interior environment.
Cambridge Townhouses, Cambridge, New Zealand
Photography: Jessica Gernat Photographer