Saskatoon tries a new way to help residents warm-up to winter

A warming hut, the "Rope Pavilion," is shown here in Saskatoon. (Chad Hills/CTV Saskatoon)

Two new structures sit in the snow near the Saskatoon Farmer’s Market. They are called “warming huts.”

The huts are a unique place to stop and get out of the elements. The city borrowed the warming huts from Winnipeg as part of a pilot program called the WinterCityYXE Strategy.

Winnipeg has an international hut design competition each year. Jill Cope, project manager of environmental and corporate initiatives with the City of Saskatoon, said the city wants to see if the warming huts will be a hit here too and if they’ll possibly lead to a similar winter event. Cope hopes people will try out a warming hut while they are out enjoying the winter weather.

“The two we have are called Shelterbelt and Rope Pavilion, and they are beautiful. They do block the wind but they are also a piece of art, so even more fun to go out in our winter time,” said Cope.

The Rope Pavilion warming hut is made out of manila rope with a birch frame to form a dense, dome-like shell. It blocks the winter wind while still being perforated for light and views.

The Shelterbelt design has several hundred stalks of steel rebar, of varying lengths, that are anchored vertically to a base. It creates a protective screen where each bar sways slightly in the wind. Both warming huts have a bench inside to sit down.

The warming huts can be found at the Nutrien Wintershines Festival until Feb. 4 and then at the Kôna – Wanuskewin Winter Festival on Saturday, Feb. 10. After that, the warming huts will be on the riverbank at two locations until early March — at Spadina Crescent and Oxford Street and at Spadina Crescent and Avenue D.