The 2023 Winter Stations has just announced eight winning projects for their 9th annual international competition. The winners were chosen from hundreds of entries from around the world, along with three student designs from Toronto Metropolitan University, Waterloo Department of Architecture, and Guelph University. The competition was first launched at Woodbine beach by RAW design, Ferris + Associates, and Curio, to capture the imagination of designers and architects to create bold designs that spark conversation, transforming lifeguard stations at Toronto’s Woodbine beach. Furthermore, since these lifeguard stations are usually dormant throughout the winter, the exhibition inspires artists to bring the public back outdoors with their unique designs.
This year’s theme is Radiance, celebrating growth, inner strength, and freedom. The participants were asked to show what radiance means to them, in a world that is vastly changing with the hopes of a better and brighter future ahead. The public exhibition is meant to be immersive and colorful, bringing life into the district and encouraging interaction with the public, on display till the beginning of April.
Read on to discover this year’s winners.
CONRAD (Novak Djogo & Daniel Joshua Vanderhorst), Canada
A raccoon named Conrad died in the summer of 2015 at the intersection of Yonge and Church Street. Although Conrad was only a raccoon, he was human enough to arouse sympathy and warmth in Torontonians' hearts. This is a monument in his honor.
The(Home) by Scott Shields Architects (Yulia Belova, Andrew Shields), Canada
At its core, the simple word “home”, this year is a subject of brightness, reflecting the world’s significant economic and political transformation, while also still recuperating for years of the pandemic. Home, whether it is a physical location or a much-loved neighborhood, is a blessed place where one feels power, security, and freedom, radiating inner beauty and potential to the outside world. The design showcases a straightforward pavilion with brightly colored walls that have been intricately carved to provide a continually transforming experience during the day and night. The installation plays with emitting and transmitting light through the kaleidoscope pattern revealed during the dawn, and the light that emanates from within the glass sculpture throughout the night.
LIFE LINE by WeatherstonBruer Associates (James Bruer, Nick Roland, Jacqueline Hampshire), Canada
The concept of Radiance in this installation is seen as a shared feeling. The project experiments with how we receive and give positive energy, extending far beyond its source. “Life Line” proposes an interactive station that makes the sharing of happiness tangible through an auditory experience.
Alluding to the beach’s specific linear terrain, the waterfront’s infrastructure, and the horizon line in the distance, lifeline uses these elements to make an engaging soundscape for participants to enjoy. There are multiple points of interaction seen as listening stations placed along the tunnel’s length.
3 Surfaces Pavilion (S-AR: César Guerrero, Ana Cecilia Garza, Orlando Garcia), Mexico
This pavilion consists of three surfaces. The first one is a pavement that designates the boundaries where the other two surfaces are situated. The two remaining surfaces, one of which is smaller than the other, are curving sections that use their shapes to structure themselves and provide opportunities for habitation or activities. Users are free to gather around or inside the pavilion and stand, sit, or lie on the surfaces that encourage them to be inhabited in a variety of interesting ways.
The installation materials are relatively straightforward, composed of modular aluminum frames clad in hardwood planks. The wood gives the texture of the elements, emphasized by a bright yellow paint for the curved sections. After the exhibition, the boards and wooden framework can be repurposed to create street furniture or borders for gardens, roadways, and bridges.
Delighthouse (Nick Green & Greig Pirrie), United Kingdom
In this installation, rays of color fold around a tall timber tower in the distance, directing tourists to approach. Inspired by lighthouses in coastal settings throughout Canada, serving as a warm beacon of joy, excitement, and hope. Visitors of the piece are surrounded by a vibrant pattern that is cast onto the ground panels, evoking a sense of play. The installation is scaled to hold the lifeguard stand, clad in vibrantly painted timber boards. The eight boards taper inwards, forming the tower as a whole.
Ripple Hut by Cesar Rodriguez Perfetti, Jake Kroft, Breno Gualter, Dean Roumanis, Led by Associate Professor Vincent Hui, Toronto Metropolitan University Department of Architectural Science
The Ripple Hut emulates the form of aggregated canoes, a fundamental method of transportation for thousands of years, representing humanity’s growth, inner strength, and freedom. The connections between the pavilion represent ripples in water, with small apertures in the framework providing framed views of the surrounding context. The installation represents the wider theme of radiance through experimentation with form, materiality, and spatial interaction. From different angles, it will be viewed differently through the effect of light and shadow, evoking immersion and discovery.
We[AR] by Saina Amin, Craig Klomp, Lauren Mac Isaac, Catherine Yan (Design team), Mahmoud Afshari, Kaveh Eshraghian, Roozbeh Moayyedian (Tech team), Led by Assistant Professor Afshin Ashari, University of Guelph, School of Environmental Design & Rural Development
This interactive virtual installation presents social issues and exemplifies the power of unity in the face of a political crisis. It is rooted in human connection, and the strength of community when it stands together, displaying that true radiance is not dependent on any one item, person, or location. The installation encourages visitors to explore its bounds at their own pace, boosting meaningful conversation between interactions, and supporting visitors to become allies of any marginalized, at-risk community. The more people in the public realm interact with the installation, the more its strength is seen and exemplified.
Moreover, the creators of this artistic experience believe that any member of a community should benefit from the presence of solidarity. It encourages a sense of shared responsibility and allows visitors to connect and help one another.
Winter-net by Chiun Lee, Diana Si, Justin Park, Razmik Garboushian, Likhita Varikuti, Simon Liao, supervised by David Correa, Fiona Lim Tung, the University of Waterloo Department of Architecture
The idea behind Winter-net is to showcase the ability of snow to be perceived as a blank canvas, ready to be painted by people and animals. It is a permeable surface that can be used for artistic expression. The installation is composed of a network of layered nets strung between a framework of wooden posts, radiating from the central lifeguard platform. The nets catch and filter sand and snow alike, as it is carried by the wind, preventing light filtering and creating clear shadows. As the visitor walks through the nets, they are encouraged to play with the snowfall to create different shadow forms.
