Located in Coral Gables, FL, Bermuda Village is a grouping of 22 single-family courtyard residences and two duplex compounds arranged in the form of two small city blocks. Rendered in a tropical Bermuda style, the village was created in the spirit of the City’s original exotically-themed residential “villages” built in the 1920’s by developer George Merrick. These picturesque enclaves were often connected by a continuous perimeter wall that defined a clear public street frontage while giving closure and privacy to internal gardens.
Set amidst single-story, single-family residences, but also adjacent to a row of multi-level office buildings, the 30-unit village is composed of double and single story elements that mediate between the two neighboring scales. The homes are typically grouped in clusters of three to four, only attaching at narrow, single-story junctures while generally allowing the double-story volumes to set back away from the street. As with the 1920’s villages, a continuous garden wall lines the sidewalks and connects the houses and their courtyards. A private, one-way street bisects the 3.3 acre parcel and creates two blocks whose rear alley courts accommodate garage access, additional guest parking, and the utilities for these units. At the two busiest, most urban corners of the site, two duplex structures are arranged around a walled courtyard entry.