Ghent House / Thomas Phifer and Partners

Text description provided by the architects. The Ghent House was designed as a linear collection of structures, slightly askew from one another and partially embedded into a hillside. Each structure contains one room. Slightly raised interconnecting underground passages link the rooms spatially and conceptually.

The building’s low profile minimizes its impact on the sprawling 78-acre site. A small, elevated entry building leads down and into the passage that connects the house’s four bedrooms, kitchen, living, and dining rooms.

Each room is focused on a large, glazed opening that provides spectacular views of the Catskill Mountains and access to the exterior. The site design accommodates sculpture, sitting areas, a pool, walking paths, and beehives, and provides ample grazing land for local cattle farmers.