We are in the midst of a housing crisis in Salt Lake City. With few empty lots remaining downtown, the push for more housing often results in the demolition of the historic fabric of the city. EXO aims to make use of the vertical void above existing structures, which is commonly omitted when determining feasible building areas. By reimagining this vertical space as habitable space, we can reinterpret what it means to build new in Salt Lake City — and do so without demolishing any of the city’s existing fabric.

EXO is a system of scaffolding that acts as an exoskeleton. The exoskeleton is placed above existing buildings, providing the structure for living units of various sizes to be added or removed as needed. The exoskeleton’s language dictates a grid system reflected in the individual housing units. The base unit is an 18-foot cube, and each apartment is a collection of cubes to account for the various needs of the city’s inhabitants.

There are seven apartment types in total, ranging from one to three bedrooms. Each apartment comprises one or more base units stacked to create a variety of spaces. The units are meant to be placed into the exoskeleton structure as needed, providing a flexible housing option for the city that allows the density to be scaled up or down to meet demand. The aim of EXO is to provide a housing solution that creates space above the city’s existing fabric and can be scaled up or down as needed to meet the growing housing demand in Salt Lake City.