The South Towne Exposition Center is a gathering place for residents of Salt Lake County, supplementing the national convention capabilities of the Salt Lake City convention center. Challenges to the design team included creating a suburban scale and appropriate presence for what could easily have resembled another big-box shopping mall, organizing the space logically from the visitor's perspective, and allowing back-of-house functions to perform efficiently and unobtrusively.

Slopes, valleys, ridges, and peaks inspired by the surrounding mountains—not a 50-foot high exhibit wall—welcome visitors to the Expo Center. The oversized sandstone blocks and the concrete bases for the roof-supporting braces further reduce the apparent mass of the building. Concrete fin walls with angular penetration help organize the space into three lobby/meeting room zones.

The interior of the space is organized with maximum flexibility, allowing the facility to accommodate very large exhibitions, or several smaller trade shows. Massive roof overhangs provide shelter at the doorways and shade from the southern sun. The high, sloped, triangular roof planes hover above surrounding roofs to allow natural light to enter and define the lobby. At night, the same clerestories create a luminous focal point for each lobby. The large trusses supporting the lobby roofs are exposed to view, accenting the high ceilings that rise and focusing visitors toward the exhibit halls and meeting rooms.