a+u 2026:02 Feature: Thomas Phifer
Content
a+u’s February issue features award-winning American architect Thomas Phifer. As seen in the 10 houses and 12 cultural buildings examined here, Phifer’s work engages with the landscape in a manner that is deeply respectful, yet asserts its presence. Whether situated in a pastoral meadow or an urban setting, the buildings do not dominate their surroundings but strike a balance. This contextually sensitive dialogue between building and landscape extends beyond formal expression of the building to its environmental performance. In the operable sunshades in Taghkanic House, the thick concrete eaves overhanging the ephemeral walls of Hudson Valley House III, and the complexly multilayered canopy of Moody Amphitheater, the quiet contemplative quality of Phifer’s work emerges from a scientific understanding of site, climate, and light.
Essay:
The Poetics of Light: From Landscape to Space of Contemplation
Susana Ventura
Ghent House
Hudson Valley House III
Hudson Valley House II
Hudson Valley House I
Elizaville House
Madison House
Fishers Island House
Midwest House
Salt Point House
Taghkanic House
Essay:
Through the Lens of Glenstone
Thomas Phifer
Glenstone Museum
Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw
TR Warszawa Theater 108
National Archaeological Museum of Greece
Moody Amphitheater
Corning Museum of Glass
North Carolina Museum of Art
Museum of Art and Cultural Center
Rice University Brochstein Pavilion
Wagner Park Pavilion
United States Courthouse
Cine Colombia Headquarters