Once again the Warming
Huts v.2014: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice has been a huge
success. This competition, endorsed by
the Manitoba Association of Architects, invited architects from all over the
world to submit proposals for warming huts online at www.warminghuts.com.
After receiving over 190 entries the jury blindly chose three
submissions that best “push
the envelope of design, craft and art.” This year the three winners are
Canadian, with two of the winning entries coming from Toronto and one from
Vancouver. In addition to the three
winning open submissions, there will also be one hut from a separate University
of Manitoba competition, one from the local invited architect Étienne Gaboury, and one hut
from Kelvin High School’s drafting program.
Every year the architects push
the boundaries in terms of inspiration, design, and materials used. There was no theme for this year's competition which
produced a diverse set of winning warming huts.
- NUZZLES - RAW DESIGN INC.- Toronto
Imagine a series of glowing mounds on the frozen
river landscape, each creating immersive layers of light, warmth and
interaction. Inspired by the insulating properties of fur, NUZZLES brings a
unique, engaging experience to the visitors of the Assiniboine River. Moving
away from the introverted enclosure, NUZZLES exhibits a heated, lit core,
encompassed by a multitude of insulated appendages which allow users to nestle
into the structure. Constructed from a geodesic lattice of hollow aluminum
tubing, and an outer layer of foam bristles (pool noodles), NUZZLES provides an
inner layer of still air in order to increase heat capacity. Occupants are
encouraged to playfully interact with bristles in order to sculpt informal
seating or standing space as well change the lighting dispersions of the
glowing structure.
- Red Blanket - Workshop Architecture Inc.- Toronto
Red Blanket will be a visual marker against the
surrounding white winter palette. It will be seen by skaters far in the
distance. First as a red speck, then, as you skate closer, you will see the
dense fabric panels swaying under heavy winds. The wall of thick felt will be
angled to protect skaters from the prevailing wind and provide a sunny spot.
Each of the ten panels is sized to be the width and length of a single roll of
bright red felted wool. A rod will be affixed at each panel’s top end and hung
in two parallel lines from the underside of one of the bridges crossing the
Assiniboine or Red River. The bottom ends of these monumental- scaled panels will
act as a warm blanket for people to wrap themselves in, one or two at a time.
Simple wooden benches will be slid into place by skaters as required to create
different groupings from a single person lacing up their skates to a small
group gathering to share hot cocoa.
- Windshield - Kate Busby & Bella Totino – Vancouver
“And all about him was the wind now, a pervasive sighing through
great emptiness, as though the prairie itself was breathing...” W.O. Mitchell
WINDSHIELD is a five-metre tall wind vane that
counters prevailing winds to protect its occupants. The vertical shelter is
supported on a circular rotating steel base. Its modern aluminum frame and
fabric skin are based on the tectonics of the early birch-bark canoes that
would travel down the Assiniboine in the summer months. The light frame allows
the shelter to adapt to changing wind pattern by rotating to protect its users
from exposure to the elements. Fixed to the centre of the circular base a
modified outdoor heat column serves both as hand- hold and a source of heat and
light. The shelter stands proud as a landmark feature along the frozen river,
inviting new visitors to test its wind breaking abilities and warm their
mittened hands.
- SKYBOX – University of Manitoba – Winnipeg
SKYBOX creates the visual immersion of
people against a background not normally considered, the sky. Winnipeg’s
trademark aspect is its winter weather, and SKYBOX aims to create a mesh
between the transforming weather conditions and the community. Purposefully
placed reflective material covers the interior space to procure an illusion of
the visitors sitting amongst the changing winter skies.
SKYBOX embraces the current generation’s
fascination with social media by creating a photographic opportunity amongst
the changing skies. Through the process of uploading images with the tagline
#SKYBOX, Winnipeg’s community can interact with and promote The Fork’s Red
River Mutual Trail on an international scale.
- Voyageur Hut - Étienne Gaboury - Winnipeg
This warming hut celebrates the 45th season of
the Festival du Voyageur; it is a mirthful evocation of the ‘courreurs de
bois’. They relied primarily on clothes to warm themselves, wearing probably
one or two pairs of pants, ‘long johns’, sweaters, toques, woolen socks,
moccasins, and sashes wrapped around their waists. Recalling these habits and
traditions are the inverted pants and sash. These are suspended by two
helium-filled balloons; the lower one, a voyageur carrying a canoe, and the
upper one, a floral form, all meant to create a festive setting visible from
afar.
- To Be Named –
Kelvin High School – Winnipeg
Working with Red River Mutual, the sixth warming hut will
become a class project for Kelvin High School Students to be unveiled during
build week in January.
