MZA designed the River House as a multi-purpose getaway on the Cumberland River, combining family, business, and social needs for a private Nashville-based family. The 9-acre site which was flooded during the 2010 flood represented a special challenge: designing in a floodplain with optimum river exposure. MZA elevated the first floor 11 feet, leaving an open-air "hammock zone" and garage in the basement. A slide-and-teak steel-and-sculpted stair provide dramatic entry to the raised entrance. The layout maintains separate family and guest wings, providing energy-efficient flexibility, while a great room of soaring 3,000 SF supports the house with glass walls that completely retract overlooking the river. A carefree game room, including a putting green and golf simulator, sits above the entry. Sustainable features, including charred wood siding and solar panels, weigh both durability and design. River House is equally a lodge and retreat created for coming together, unwinding, and celebrating the river all year round.