The City of Saskatoon has released the concept design and master plan to revitalize its downtown core. The Downtown Event & Entertainment District (DEED) is re-envisioning Saskatoon’s core as a center of commerce, tourism, services, and entertainment.
The project is being led by Stantec, who is serving as the prime consultant on the project and the plan features a new event center/arena, convention center, renovated theatre, and public realm design.
The team for Stantec’s Urban Places created the concept design and master plan for the DEED, which included a transportation plan, mobility plan, landscape design, and urban planning. The new district is expected to drive investment and create significant economic benefits over the long term.
Stantec oversaw the larger design team which included HOK who led the arena concept, LMN who led the convention centre concept, and PFS who led the landscape design concept.
“Positioned in the northwest quadrant of Saskatoon’s downtown, the Downtown Event & Entertainment District is in the geographic and metaphorical heart of the City. Its design reflects the diversity that makes the region so vibrant and beautiful,” said Simon O’Byrne, senior vice president at Stantec. “Our inspiration was drawn from the meeting of city and country that Saskatoon exemplifies in its landscapes and urban form, as well as the deep connection of community.”
This project features four design pillars that were inspired by the beauty of nature in Saskatoon to create a cohesive design for the new and existing public spaces: Urban with a Prairie Heart, Where the Earth Meets the Sky, Warmly Embrace the Winter, and Of the Earth. Each of these pillars is expressed across the DEED with complementary colours, textures, and forms, all of which draw on the prairie landscape and embrace the identity of the surrounding Indigenous communities.
“These renderings really help illustrate that the District is much more than just an event centre and convention centre – it is to be a community gathering place in any season,” said Dan Willems, director of technical services, transportation & construction division. “They show the potential of the public spaces, with places for events, amenities and open areas where visitors and people from all parts of the city can meet and share unique experiences.”
Stantec also used its virtual reality (VR) studio to create an immersive experience of the central plaza in order to bring these design concepts to life.
“Where plans and renderings can go a long way to illustrate the potential, this immersive experience gives an on-the-ground understanding of the impact this project will bring to downtown Saskatoon,” said Eric Boileau, Stantec’s VR studio lead. “VR was a great way for the City to tell a unique story where everyone can understand how they can be a part of it in the future.”
The area currently contains surface parking lots and low-rise office buildings. As a result, developing a new centre of activity in this location will help to fill a gap between the commercial and retail heart of downtown as well as attract more people to live, work, and play in the District, as well as invest in Saskatoon’s culture and community.
The District’s transportation strategy is also designed to facilitate moving through downtown by all modes of transportation.