On AIA Dallas Tour, a Contemporary Townhome Development Stands Out

This year’s AIA Dallas Tour of Homes is a hybrid virtual/in-person event that will showcase some truly extraordinary architecture not only in Dallas but in Tyler and Denton, too.

One particularly intriguing project on this year’s tour is a townhome development designed by Jay Magee and Paul Jankowski, AIA, of Modern Living Dwellings. Right when these properties went on the market in 2020, we fell in love with them.

From the symmetry to the thoughtful details to the high-quality finishes, the Manett Street townhomes project stole our hearts. And now that the project is an in-person stop on the 2021 AIA Dallas Tour of Homes on Oct. 23-24, you’ll get to fall for them, too. Plus, the location near Henderson Avenue makes these beautiful townhomes perfect for walkable urban living.

(Want to win tickets to this year’s tour? Keep reading!)

We caught up with Jankowski, who also happens to be a resident of this stunning contemporary development, on why this project stands out:

What parts of this project were particularly important to execute?

Paul Jankowski: The design challenge for us was to create three single-family attached homes on a typical 50-foot by 150-foot corner lot fronting a commercial avenue.

The solution required three levels of living space that on their own needed to be functional, pleasing, and interesting … and, needed to be cohesively traversed between levels to form unified living spaces composing a single-family home.

Architecturally, the building form and scale mediate between the commercial buildings on Henderson Avenue and the newly emerging residential community to the north.

Was there a particular aesthetic you were inspired by?

Jankowski: We are inspired by simple, clean, and functional materials and forms put together in interesting, deliberate, and concise ways. The goal is to create a lasting style that transcends time and fleeting trends.

What’s your favorite element that was incorporated in this design?

Jankowski: It is difficult to select just one design element as a favorite. We are particularly pleased with:

• The hand-crafted paint grip panels cladding the ground level.
• The perforated steel screen across the indoor and outdoor second living spaces.
• The third level metal ‘eyebrows’ to temper the southern sun.
• The simple but yet elegant stair system that is easily walked from level to level.
• On the third level there is a crafted sliding door system that closes sleeping rooms, screens the laundry area, or simply rests as reflective glass walls between depending on their positioning.
• The third level also takes a mundane dead end hall space and transforms it into a home office nook through clever placement of a built-in desk integrated into the top of the stairwell, strategically placed windows and skylight, and an adjacent office equipment and AV storage closet.

What should tour-goers pay special attention to?

Jankowski: The design elements mentioned in the above answer and how they come together to form a sense of place that is more than the sum of its parts. There is a spirit of peace that resides in these homes … this is the essence of Modern Living.

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Want to attend the AIA Dallas Tour of Homes on Oct. 23-24 for free? We’ll be hosting a ticket giveaway next week so stay tuned!