The article below illustrates one well-received live/work project debuting in the Metroplex. I've written of Capella Park several times. This article expands the multiple concepts in the developer's design that enhance community, urbanism, and are friendlier to the environment.

The concept will soon not be foreign even for Garland. Though only a few such units are planned, the Trammell Crow mixed-use project that will break ground Downtown in January features some live/work units.

Live in Luxury, Work in Comfort

“What's old is new and what's new is old.” Living over the store is an old concept being revived and built at Capella Park. Developers and Architects are revitalizing the faded tradition of Living Over the Workplace. Shopkeepers, artisans, and professionals have been living over the workplace for hundreds of years.

Live/Work homes allow small business owners to combine their housing and work spaces into one building and one mortgage. The combination of these required spaces present lower total occupancy expense and ease of identifying work space for tax deductibility. The Live/Work homes in Phase I of Capella Park are tailored to businesses which have no more than two outside employees and occasional drive-up clientele.

In days gone by, people lived over the workplace partially because transportation was difficult. Today, because of congested roads, transportation is again difficult. With the Internet and other modern marvels it is time for the old to be new again. Living Over the Workplace has many benefits. It's convenient, more comfortable, more economical, environmentally friendly and promotes community interaction. By living where one works there is no commuting, less air pollution, less energy usage, and cars will last longer. A win-win all around.

Cappella Park is unique New Urbanism concept in Southwest Dallas where the Living Over the Workplace concept is a vital component. The first phase of the Living Over the Workplace project is comprised of three six-unit town homes, 18 homes total. These 2,600 square foot town homes are two story with the Shop on the ground level and the Living space on the second level. The Architect for this project, in a juxtaposition, has been living under the workplace for eleven years and brings his insight and experience to the design.

The ground level has an over-sized, two-car garage off the alley. The size of the garage allows for storage and a work bench. The front is a large workspace that can be customized to the needs of the owner. The 10-foot ceilings and multiple French doors with transoms make the space bright and spacious. There is also an interior courtyard which allows more light and is perfect for breaks or a lunch outside.

The use of street-facing French doors not only bring in light, letting the outside in, but also allows window shopping, allowing the community and workspace to interact visually. This design adds to the pedestrian aspect of the New Urbanism concept.

The lower level also has a full bath, storage, and two sets of stairs leading to the second level. One stair is off the garage while the other comes down into the workplace. The upper level living area is a 1,600 square foot two bedroom home. As you get to the top of the stairs you are greeted by the openness and the view of the upper courtyard. The dining room overlooks the upper courtyard and receives abundant light from the courtyard. The kitchen is full featured with a full appliance package, pantry, and a raised bar at where your friends can congregate. The sink area faces the living room and beyond to the outside.

The living room is at the front of the unit and has plenty of windows looking down to the street and across Capella Park. At almost 24-feet-wide the space can accommodate the home owner's needs. There are two full furniture/TV walls to make furniture placement easy.

Toward the back of the unit, past the dining area and the upper courtyard, is the hall to the utility room, guest bedroom, bathroom, and master suite. The utility room has space for the new larger washers and dryers, together with some storage space and a storage closet. The guest bath is not the standard guest bath but is over 6½ feet wide—so it feels and is more spacious. There is a linen closet immediately across from the guest bath. The master suite includes a private bath and walk-in closet.

These Living Over the Workplace homes are unique even to Capella Park's New Urbanism design; however, the concept is starting to thrive and expand throughout the Metroplex.

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1 comment

Comments:

Comment from: John Willis [Visitor]

Indeed, what is old is new again. Or at least being rediscovered here in our neck of the woods.

In the post about our recent trip to rural, Southern France, I mentioned live-over-work spaces. In the various villages and larger towns, and even cities, such arrangements were common. The buildings were rarely more than three or four floors in height, and the scale of the building was very accessible, with no loss of privacy in the living areas.

It is good to see this sort of project gaining in acceptance. With less and less ground available for new development, we have no choice but to make more efficient use of what undeveloped areas we have left, and better decisions when parcels come up for redevelopment.

And without this sort of increase in efficiency, we won't see much in the way of redevelopment as there won't be much future growth, and our local economy would tend to stagnate.

Capella Park is already an example of what's possible when high quality is the standard. Garland would do well to apply, for itself, some of the principles being used in that development.

09/14/07 @ 07:56

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