More Modern Living in Bishop Arts

In June 2015 our newsletter and blog were about the “ultra-modern” townhouses RDDA designed near the Bishop Arts District.  The blog received a lot of publicity, and, as a result, we were approached by another developer to design another group of townhouses on Melba Street near Bishop Arts in the Bishop-Davis Planned Development District.

This new project consists of four townhouses on a fifty foot wide lot.
Each unit is three stories and encompasses approximately 2,200 square feet of air-conditioned space.
The first floor of each unit has a two-car garage, entry foyer, and staircase.
The second floor provides an open living and dining area, as well as a study/bedroom and full bath. The master suite is located on the third floor with a large bathroom and closet, along with a laundry room and another bedroom suite.

Outdoor living space plays a significant role in the design of these townhouses.
On the second level, a balcony opens off of the living and dining area.
On the third floor, another balcony opens out from the master bedroom.
Best of all, a spacious roof deck is easily accessed via a stairway from the third floor.  The deck offers a perfect area for outdoor entertaining with a spectacular view of downtown Dallas.

The windows, balconies, and areas of the exterior materials are interwoven and layered on the facades to create interesting balanced compositions.

The mix of materials adds to the aesthetic appeal of the exterior.  Brick, horizontal steel balcony railings, and horizontal cement board lap siding contrast with the verticality of the metal seam siding.

One of the most interesting components of the project is a result of the zoning ordinances of the Bishop-Davis Planned Development District (P.D.), which was created to increase density in this burgeoning neighborhood.  The P.D. has no front yard, rear yard or side yard setbacks.  Unlike areas, such as Oak Lawn, where setbacks are required, the Bishop-Davis P.D. allows constructions right up to the property line–as long as the building material is non-combustible. As a result, RDDA designed the townhouses to take full advantage of the space that the lot and the zoning allows.  Consequently, the exposed steel support columns extend to the property line, creating room for the driveway without having to cantilever the second and third floors out over the driveway.  The walls of the townhouses are set back five feet to allow for windows, which do not meet the non-combustible materials requirement. This unique offset of the columns and exterior walls contributes to the overall design of the townhouses, allowing the structure to be “pulled out” and exposed separately from the walls.  This technique brings an edgy sense of modern living to one of Dallas’ hottest neighborhoods.

RDDA enjoyed the opportunity to work once again in this redeveloping area.

To see more images of projects designed by RDDA, please visit our website.