Harborview Townhomes

The client purchased a narrow, seemingly unbuildable ½-acre lot within walking distance to downtown Portland, Maine. The design brief was to build modern, beautiful 7-unit townhomes on this constrained urban lot with 11 abutters.

Townhouses are a rare commodity in Portland, but there is great demand 
for this style of building that allows both a private entrance and a pocket backyard. We organized the units along a side path that gently rises from the street, with each unit’s doorway tucked along the common path. Galvanized metal planters between the building and circulation path create both privacy and gardening opportunities for urban dwellers. On the opposite face of the building we crafted a series of private terraces at grade level, with each dedicated back yard separated from neighbors by Cedar privacy fencing. Because the neighboring buildings sit close together, we raised the main living spaces up to the second level for better light, views, and privacy. The master suites were situated on the third floor with 5 of the 7 units afforded generous exterior deck space. The building is wrapped in a calm skin of durable grey fiber-cement with highlights of galvanized metal and raw cedar – nods to the practical character of the nearby working waterfront.

This building is highly insulated with thermally-broken details (R-68 roof with exterior rigid insulation; R-36 wall with double-stud construction; R-16 slab with edges thermally separated from exterior). The building envelope was panelized in a factory, trucked to the site, and erected in a very short time frame. Sun shading was carefully optimized to prevent summer overheating on the extensive glazing. It uses cold climate air-source heat pumps for heating and cooling, and energy recovery ventilators for abundant fresh air. The project meets the Architecture 2030 guidelines for carbon emission limits.