Residents around the fire pit lounge under the Embold shade structure at night

Multifamily Outdoor Amenities · Lehi, Utah

Less of a drive. More of a life.

Embold Apartments.

Pool deck + shade structureSilicon Slopes · Lehi BlockWasatch Residential Group

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Embold Apartments, the full film · Loft Six Four

The pool deck · Lehi Block, Silicon Slopes

Outdoor amenities, closer to work.

Embold Apartments sits centrally among the Silicon Slopes tech offices in northern Utah Valley, its outdoor amenities accented by an iconic overhead structure at the corner.

Who wouldn’t want to spend some extra time at the gym or in the pool, rather than stuck in traffic on the interstate?

The result, first

$3M

estimated value the outdoor amenities add to the property, on a conservative estimate

10%+

of residents hang out at the pool deck on any given weeknight

5 stars

average rating earned on Google Reviews and Apartments.com, with reviews citing the “unmatched amenities”

01 · The Brief

Less driving. More living.

Embold Apartments sits centrally among the Silicon Slopes tech offices in northern Utah Valley. There was a major lack of multifamily housing in the area, so many new tech employees looked elsewhere for a place to live, mostly in Salt Lake City.

With best-in-class outdoor amenities accented by an iconic overhead structure at the street corner, Embold now attracts tech workers who want an amenity-rich lifestyle closer to their place of work. Rather than living in downtown Salt Lake City, roughly 30 miles to the north, they finally have a big reason to cut down their commute.

Give them a reason to stay close. That was the job.

$Rendering of the Embold pool with the fractal shade structure beyond$

The idea

Drawing inspiration from nature, our design team created a concept as organic as a tree and as majestic as a bird in flight.

The icon · Lehi Block, at the corner $Bird’s-eye rendering of the shade structure at the street corner, its fractal shadow on the deck$

An icon at the street corner.

Prominent and distinctive, the overhead structure takes advantage of the high-traffic corner. It’s a signal to the uniqueness of the outdoor amenities at Embold.

**Shane Kershaw** · Waterscape Landscaping

From trace paper to steel

The execution of this complex shade structure would not have been possible without 3D design. A virtual model, instead of 2D plans and details alone, let us pull accurate dimensions and send the model straight to the fabricator, who built each component so it could be seamlessly assembled on site.

Pens and trace paper, the charrette Charrette sketch of the shade structure on trace paper

The folded paper model A folded paper model of the shade structure held in one hand

The paper model, guiding the move into the computer The folded paper model held over the digital site plan on a screen

Steel sections, reassembled in the storage area Fabricated steel sections of the shade structure reassembled on the ground

02 · The Approach

Different from every angle.

The angular structure looks different from every angle. It catches the attention of travelers on the street, and of prospective residents seeing the pool from the clubhouse for the first time. The nature-inspired fractal pattern casts an intriguing shadow on the ground and the water below.

Our office held a design charrette with the entire team to generate ideas quickly. We started with pens and trace paper. Once we had a concept we were all excited about, we made a folded paper model.

That model became the guide when the design moved into the computer.

The steel shade structure set on the pool wall, mountains beyond

The charrette, on trace3 of the set · click to expand

03 · The Result

The proof is on the pool deck.

The iconic shade structure and the high quality pool amenity space were key to securing city design review approval for our client’s configuration of the site.

Over 10 percent of residents hang out at the pool deck on any given weeknight. That’s how much residents love outdoor amenities.

The property has earned an average rating of 5 stars on both Google Reviews and Apartments.com, with multiple reviews mentioning the “unmatched amenities.” Outdoor amenities at Embold contribute an estimated $3 million to the overall value of the property, on a conservative estimate.