Water resource management is a major priority for sustainable stewardship of the land in southern Montana. The Yellowstone River bisects the site and has the potential to dramatically flood its banks during late spring melt off in the mountains. The lodge is sited in a clearing within a grove of sheltering Cottonwoods tree that reveals a view of the distant mountain range known as the Crazies. As part of the sustainable design master, deep ponds have been dredged to accept the seasonal overflow through empoldering, a method developed in the Netherlands to reclaim land from the sea that involves the use of polders, which is also a way to control floods. The ponds supply the resources for the geothermal system that conditions the home year round, as well as providing irrigation for the domestic landscape including a grass roof that provides abundant insulation, and the non-potable plumbing supply. The 3,000 sq structure presents two distinct and separate facades upon arrival, revealing itself as two interlocking volumes; a two-story glass wedge, and a one-story bar forming a “T” shape that is clad in wood salvaged from a barn indigenous to the site. Broad roof eaves provide shade in the warm months, and in the cold months the angle of the roof allows direct sunlight; high-performance insulated glazing, and radiant heating further reduce energy consumption. It sits on a 30” tall porous plinth raising the finish floors well above the flood line, allowing rising waters to pass around and under the foundation. A covered walkway on the western side of the property adds to width of the wood-clad structure to evoke the scale and language of a frontier town. Large stone surfaces fabricated from a composite of reclaimed waste from a local quarry surround the base of the building. Within the open plan, a hanging orb fireplace anchors the two wings and provides a focal point, for the entry on one side, and the living/dining area on the other. Rich surfaces and minimalist details allow nature to be the star of the show. Although modern in form, the building references its context by bringing together two of the areas predominant materials, Frontier Sandstone and reclaimed western pine. 2014 AIATC Design Excellence Award The sole shelter providing trees on this 2000-acre Montana ranch are the cottonwoods along the banks of the property-bisecting river. The house is sited is in a clearing within a grove of these trees that reveals a clear view of the distant mountain range known as the Crazies. The environs recall the unexploited American West of a century ago. This river has the potential to dramatically flood its banks during late spring melt off in the mountains. As the first line of defense to this self imposed threat, the house sits on a 30” tall porous plinth lifting the finish floors well above the flood line. Other than the elevated driveway, the house will appear to float on the river as waters pass around and under the foundation. The house has been sited among spring fed ponds in the flood plain that provide year round water features when the river otherwise can slow to a trickle during drought cycles. The house presents two distinct and separate facades on arrival, revealing itself after the visitor enters as two interlocking objects– one, a two-level glass wedge, the other a one story wooden bar. Joined together they form a “T” shape. A glass enclosed hall along the western side of the residence adds to the width of the wooden structure and recalls the scale and function of the shed covered walkways in former frontier towns.