Preparing for Winter at The Forks

The wind is getting chilly, the days are getting shorter and no one can deny there were a few little white flakes floating through the air this week…

Winter is coming. 

What does that mean for The Forks site crew? 

It means more staff, more work and a big to-do list!

Out with the old Farmers' Market Banners…in with Christmas lights!

1. Switch the geothermal heating system from cool to warm
Along with several other Target Zero initiatives, all the ventilation in the Market was redesigned with efficient heat recovery ventilation units that pre-heat fresh air with recycled heat generated by the restaurants which comes through 53 heat pumps throughout the Market to efficiently distribute heating and cooling.


Since we switched to geothermal, we have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 42% (448 tonnes of CO2e) and reduced our heating costs by 14%.

2. Rake leaves

It's wonderful to visit a green site, full of trees in all shapes and sizes in the summer, but our site crew definitely does not take this for granted when they're raking up all the fallen leaves in autumn. They estimate that more than 30, 1-yard bags full (about 300 garbage bags' worth) of leaves were deposited into our BIOVADOR composter this fall. This industrial composter creates the perfect environment for trillions of bacteria and microbes to do their jobs breaking down organic waste.

3. Prepare for the river freezing

The warming huts have been selected and the Zamboni has been tuned up, but even before the river begins to freeze, all the docks must be removed and stored until the spring thaw. As soon as the river is safely frozen, we'll let everyone know and all the river trail activities can begin! 

4. Prepare Urban Garden for hibernation

We're giving the Urban Gardens the fuel they need to make it through the winter by giving them a final prune and topping them with nutrients in the form of compost from the BIOVADOR 

5. Put up Christmas lights

While the holidays are still a few weeks away, we're best off getting the Christmas lights up before the first blizzard of the season. And besides, lights on sight make spirits (and dark evenings and nights) bright!

Take Shelter

What started four years ago as a simple idea amongst a few of us here in Winnipeg, has blossomed into an event that involves a great many people.   What has changed is the size of the event, the amount of energy required to put it all together, and reach into the broader arts community both here in Winnipeg and around the world.   What has not changed are the simple ideas that instigated the project in the first place.   At a very fundamental level, humans need shelter, and humans need art.   The goal of the Warming Huts really plays with these two needs in a way that is manageable for the youngest child to the oldest grandmother to enjoy.   It is a great pleasure to be on the skating trail and overhear the comments and thoughts of the skaters and walkers who take in the scene.

Rope Pavillion

In the first year of the project we were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm that many in our immediate community of architects, landscape architects, and artists showed for the project.  In the second year we were overwhelmed by the interest shown from an international community who submitted projects from the far reaches of the globe.   Momentum of interest in the project has continued to grow, and while we are no longer surprised that people from other climes are interested in our project, I do find myself fascinated that someone from Israel, or New Zealand actually learns  our context and then submits brilliant ideas in response to our needs here in Winnipeg.   We have people from these places looking forward to coming to Winnipeg when it is very cold.   There are many in Winnipeg who have known for a long time that one of our great assets in Winnipeg is our winter.   While others would much sooner leave Winnipeg when it is frigid, those who remain have to learn to embrace it.   I think we can prosper from enthusiasm that our winter tourists are showing for the cold.

Weave Wave

During the building blitz in between January 22-25, the temperatures were horrifically cold.   Power tools froze and malfunctioned, fingers and toes got painfully cold, and the brave souls that built the huts during that week were very brave for their relentless attack on the matter of getting the projects built.  On one of the coldest mornings, I observed a grandmother and her two grandchildren skating up the trail.   They did not go far, but to see them on the trail in -25ºC was awe inspiring.   I could be wrong, but I would suggest there is no way this loving grandparent would have considered taking these kids to a hockey rink to skate in circles.   Somehow the frozen river, the trail, and the adventure of it all inspired them to lace up and head out on the ice.    It is for these people that such efforts are made in getting the Warming Huts together.    On that sunny day, out of the wind, with a little physical activity, it was quite possible to stay warm, and they seemed to be having fun.

Woolhaus

From the point of view of curating the event, this year represents and important evolution as we introduced Art pieces that blurred the lines of shelter, architecture, art, and specifically the mediums within the world of Art.   The results of the competition were such that two local teams performed exceptionally well.   The team of Plain Projects, Pike Projects and Urban Ink gave us Hygge House.  I would venture to guess that no single building or work of art in Winnipeg will be photographed as many times at Hygge House.   I am sure there are literally thousands of digital images of friends gathered in the glow of "hygge".   Everyone put themselves into the scene with their very own set of joys and memories associated with the scene that was created on the ice with this special Warming Hut.   

Hygge House

The Sonus Loci was another brilliant project that really challenged the jury to debate the line between shelter and art.   This team, made up of members from Winnipeg's Stantec Architecture group and Leanne Zacharias from Brandon University's School of Music, submitted a proposal that perfectly blended thoughts on art and structure.    Ultimately the jury decided that the project was more art than shelter, we could not pass up the opportunity to propose to the team that they build their project anyway.   The team deserves a great deal of credit for organizing a community of participants and sponsors who helped them realize a truly special project.    It was delightful skating amongst the instruments, and stopping to watch as people discovered the project by playing the instruments.    

Sonus Loci

When all the snow is gone and the river is again liquid, we will have just the memories and the photos to support those memories of the winter fun out on the ice.   Each year that The Forks build the trail, they create the potential for new experiences and the resulting memories that follow. Who would have thought we would lament the melting river?  At least we can look forward to next year when it freezes again!

For more photos, visit Dan Harper Photography

Warming Huts

We recently announced the winners of the Warming Hut v.2013: Art and Architecture on Ice. One winner from Cambridge, one from New York and one from Winnipeg. As well we rolled out our invited architect from Montreal and the U of M entry.

Warming Hut v.2013 Winners

New this year were two art pieces that have nothing to do with the competition but will be installed on the River Trail anyways. There are several other various art and programming pieces that are in various stages of creation and may actually be realized this winter. I can’t tell you much more, but they are all very interesting.

However what the most interesting part to me is how a relatively simple project like a skating trail inspires creative genius here and around the world. Creating a skating trail down a frozen river seems fairly simple and rather obvious in a winter city. It doesn’t take a great visionary to have that idea. However, the jolt that  this skating trail has given to the creative spirit is truly amazing. It has spun a whole other world of the human spirit. Recreation mashing with art.

It would have been hard to imagine when creating the world’s longest skating trail a few years back that it would have also resulted in the world’s largest outdoor art and architecture gallery. It’s hard to imagine that artists and architects the world over would take such a great interest in the project and compete far beyond the monetary rewards (we simply cover the cost of the builds) to be able to participate. We didn’t set out to do any of these things but they happened anyway.

Skating at The Forks

A simple idea creating complex thought and effort. Quite a spin off.

This year as you skate, ski, bike or walk and enjoy 15 different huts, several art installations, crazy events and  random acts of architecture take a moment and marvel in the creative spirit that is unleashed when people gather together to create things for no other reason than pure fun.

-Paul Jordan