Miller & Smith
122 Units
Reston, Virginia

The project consists of 122 traditional Gregorian style townhouse dwellings built upon the western fringes of downtown Reston, VA. The planning of the site allows an urban theme incorporating building groups organized around a central axis and formal outdoor spaces. The perimeter streets are reinforced by pulling the building up to the site edges. The sense of neighborhood is then established through the positioning of a yard and front door at ground level facing the street. Garages and driveways are kept to the rear, avoiding the need for excessive curb cuts and resultant hard surfaces. The dwelling plans are based on six general unit types laid out on 3 or 4 levels. There is the traditional townhouse with front and rear exposures, in either 18 or 24 foot wide arrangements, a wedge-shaped townhouse grouped to form the site’s crescent-shaped focal point, and trapezoidal corner units used to continue buildings around the irregular edges of the site. Each of the unit types places a garage and den at the ground level. The second floor is the main living level with the third floor for bedrooms and baths. Two of the unit types feature loft levels with adjacent foot terraces providing views of the downtown and rural landscape.