Accommodation modules
Removable volumetric units that provide rooms or other usable spaces. Each module is independently supported within the accommodation frame.
A building system designed for change
Dynamic Buildings
ExoSett is a system for adaptable modular buildings that can grow, shrink and change over time. Accommodation modules can be added, removed or replaced without rebuilding the whole structure.
“Can you remove the bottom module?”
ExoSett: yes, by design. Others: not so much.
Visualise your own ExoSett building in 3D using WebGL
Open ExoSett Sketch →The ExoSett system
Clear separation of interests
ExoSett separates the building into distinct systems with distinct responsibilities.
The accommodation frame carries the primary structural loads. Accommodation modules provide usable space. The service frame provides access and routes for utilities.
Each system can therefore be designed, maintained, changed and replaced without unnecessarily entangling the others.
Principal elements
Three parts working together
Accommodation frame
The primary load-bearing structure. It contains the cells into which accommodation modules are installed and transfers building loads to the foundations.
Service frame
A separate structure providing access, circulation and routes for utilities serving the modules installed in the accommodation frame.
Change over time
The building can outlast a particular use
Accommodation needs change. Rooms become outdated, damaged or unsuitable. Demand rises and falls. Buildings acquire new uses, and expectations for comfort, technology and energy performance evolve.
Conventional buildings often respond to these changes through invasive refurbishment, prolonged closure or demolition. ExoSett is intended to make the accommodation itself easier to replace, relocate or reconfigure while retaining useful structural infrastructure.
The extent and speed of any change will depend on the design of the particular building, the modules, the service connections, the installation equipment and the applicable regulatory requirements.
Development
From system principles to engineered buildings
ExoSett defines a system architecture rather than a single fixed building design. Frame dimensions, module sizes, structural materials, connection behaviour, bracing, foundations, facades, roofs and installation methods may vary between implementations.
These choices must be resolved through architectural and engineering design for each application. The ExoSett concept is currently being developed alongside independent structural engineering investigation.
The component definitions, Design pages and illustrative stories on this website document the principles that define the system, the building-wide considerations they create and some of the possibilities they may support. The About section explains the project’s current scope and development status.