Since its revitalization, the City of Yellowknife describes Somba K’e Civic Plaza as a “tremendous success attracting citizens to the new space”. With feedback from the community, the design team developed a plaza suitable for all season use, which incorporates influences from the northern vernacular to create active and passive programmable event spaces, access to the lakefront, historical references, locations for the display of public art and cultural ceremonies. The isolated northern locale, limited material suppliers and permafrost are just a few of the challenges that the design team encountered and resolved through the design process for this space. This unique and vibrant plaza serves as the host location for numerous festivals and celebrations and is now viewed as the premier urban plaza in the Northwest Territories.
