The Tower House / GLUCK+

Architects: GLUCK+
Area: 2,550 ft² (237 m²)
Year: 2012
Photography: Paul Warchol
Architects Team: Peter L. Gluck, Thomas Gluck, David Hecht, Marisa Kolodny, A.B. Moburg-Davis
Structural Engineering: Robert Silman Associates
Mechanical Engineering: IBC Engineering Services Inc.
Environmental Engineering: IBC Engineering Services Inc.
Façade Consulting: Forst Consulting Co., Inc.
Lighting Design: Lux Populi
Manufacturers: Arcadia Custom, Benjamin Moore, EPDM Roofing, Larry Hayden, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, VaproShield
Location: Catskill Mountains, New York
Country: United States

The Tower House by GLUCK+ is a 2,550-square-foot vacation residence completed in 2012 in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Designed for intermittent occupancy, the house combines a compact vertical layout with energy-efficient strategies suited to seasonal use. Its four-story structure minimizes the building’s footprint within the wooded site, with individual bedroom suites occupying the lower levels and shared living spaces positioned above the treetops. A rooftop terrace provides additional outdoor space overlooking the surrounding landscape. The building incorporates reflective glass cladding and a transparent staircase that connects its vertically arranged rooms. Its environmental approach addresses both winter heating requirements and summer ventilation through an insulated central core and passive airflow. By limiting the area requiring heating during periods of inactivity and using the stairwell to support natural cooling, the design reduces operational energy demands while maintaining a close relationship with the surrounding forest.

The Tower House by GLUCK+ is conceived as a “stairway to the treetops,” organizing a vacation residence vertically to preserve the wooded landscape. The first three floors each contain a compact bedroom and bathroom, forming independent private suites. On the fourth floor, the living spaces extend outward from the tower, resembling the surrounding forest canopy and offering views of the lake and distant mountains. An outdoor roof terrace provides an elevated lookout above the trees.

The glass-enclosed staircase emphasizes the ascent from the forest floor to the upper living areas. Dark green, back-painted glass reflects the surrounding woodland, helping the building visually blend into its setting. At dusk, miniature lights along the stair’s cable railing evoke fireflies glowing among the trees.

Designed for occasional winter visits and frequent summer weekends, the house incorporates strategies to minimize energy consumption and maintenance. The north-facing bedrooms feature floor-to-ceiling glazing that provides daylight and views. For winter efficiency, the architects concentrated the wet zones within an insulated central core, allowing much of the house to be “turned off” when unoccupied. Only 700 square feet of the original 2,545-square-foot area requires heating during these periods, resulting in a reported 49% reduction in energy use.

During summer, the house relies on natural ventilation rather than air conditioning. South-facing glazing along the stairwell creates a solar chimney, where warmed air rises and exits through the top of the building. This stack effect draws cooler air from the north side through the interior, maintaining comfortable conditions without mechanical cooling.

The Tower House integrates its compact spatial organization with seasonal energy strategies, reducing its impact on the wooded site while using the building’s vertical form to support both residential functions and environmental performance.