The Coast To Coast Riad Based Duplex

One tends to think of the duplex in the guise of the row house with one unit adjacent to the other running along the street. What if this configuration was rotated 90 degrees so that the duplex extends along the long axis, from one street all the way to the parallel street ? At the same time what if such a duplex could capture the marvelous interior courtyard qualities of the Moroccan Riad ? With this 'design brief' in mind, VRT has devised a riad based duplex with the added criteria that it be suited to the suburban development, that it plan for parking and integral garage space.

The configuration is shown below:

In this version, each unit has a two car garage, room for 3 or 4 cars in the driveway, and space to park 2 or 3 more cars along the street. Each unit in the duplex is the mirror image of the other, reflected along a bisecting axis parallel to the street. Now unlike the case with the conventional suburban lot and its 'setbacks', in this Riad style design it is possible to make use of all parts of the lot - nothing goes to waste. In this way large homes with large outdoor areas can be built on much smaller lots. The long sidewall of the duplex is windowless and serves as a 'party wall' in the walled garden style courtyard at the center of each unit. Because there is near total privacy, the boundary between courtyard and inside can be faced entirely with glass creating a strong sense of indoor / outdoor living. Each duplex is freestanding and each can be constructed independently.

The lower level is comprised of a two car garage, a kitchen with bar seating for 4 and dining table with seating for 14, a living room with wraparound bank sofa seating for a dozen or more plus 4 lounge chairs with the centerpiece being a very large format projection TV. Outside there is a kitchen with covered dining space for 16, a fountain with a couple of bistro tables with chairs, a pool, a spa, and covered wraparound outdoor sofa seating. On the second floor there's approximately 3,000 sq ft to be divvied up as bedrooms, baths, office, and rec room as desired.

Each unit runs about 130 feet deep from the street and is about 70 feet wide for a lot of around 9,000 square feet - ideal for places where land is scarce, lots are small, but people want a lot of house.