Set along the braided banks of the Snake River in Wyoming, this year-round residence was designed for a local family with an active, outdoor lifestyle and a long-term vision for a multigenerational estate. The six-acre site offered rare proximity to the river and federally protected land, but its low-lying, flood-prone terrain and existing dikes had created a visual and physical separation from the water.

CCY’s design response began with the landscape itself. By subtly regrading the site and lifting the building plane with soil from nearby pond excavations, the design improves drainage, restores views, and reconnects the home to the river. A winding entry road moves through the wooded site before quietly revealing the house, which is set into the new topography with views to the river, wetlands, and surrounding cottonwoods.

The residence is organized as a series of low, connected volumes, with shared living spaces at the center and bedrooms, support spaces, and a home office extending outward. Indoor and outdoor rooms are closely paired throughout, allowing daily life to shift easily between shelter and landscape. A single roof unifies the central living spaces, creating a quiet horizontality that grounds the house in the land.

Material choices reinforce a sense of permanence and restraint. Exterior materials take cues from the cottonwood groves and transition inside with greater refinement, while locally sourced limestone and expansive glass create a balance of weight and openness. Designed for Climate Zone 7, the home includes triple-pane glazing, a super-insulated envelope, photovoltaic arrays, and an open-loop heat pump exchange using the river’s hydrology. The result is a resilient, enduring home shaped by its landscape and designed for generations along the river.