The Yard at Sorenson Unity Center

Based upon previous conceptual work that Firm Partner Dwight Yee completed with the Sorenson Unity Center and a team from AIA Utah’s Young Architect’s Forum, this outdoor plaza is designed to expand the current programming available and activate the space throughout the year.  The different programs are separated by topography, which both articulates the individual spaces without completely separating them: a low slope area can be converted to a 500 person outdoor amphitheater for special events, a decomposed granite plaza allows for casual congregation under new shade canopy as well as designates a space for the Center’s annual community festival, a small children’s play area is nestled between two berms, and an outdoor education center is created between a carved berm and an adjacent shade structure.  Each of these spaces breaks down the larger yard into more suitably scaled spaces without cutting one activity off from the other.  The Yard at Sorenson Unity Center will become a space for recreation, education, and play, and further connect the Center to the people it aims to serve.  This project is currently in design, but holding while the budget is finalized and funding sources are secured.