The Leisure Media Company Ltd
The Leisure Media Company Ltd
The Leisure Media Company Ltd

Upended forest, water bottle whale and Japanese foot spa feature as Winter Stations open in Toronto

Torontonians have flocked to the city’s beach in record numbers to experience the unveiling of eight brand new Winter Stations installations along the shoreline of Lake Ontario.

The creators of the attractions, who were chosen in a design competition, were tasked with designing “playful” structures – based around the beaches’ lifeguard stations – capable of drawing people into the chilly outdoors to interact with the icy environment.

The installations include an upended forest, a Japanese-inspired foot spa, a whale constructed out of empty water bottles and a collage of mirrored buoys.

All eight installations are exhibited along Kew, Scarborough and Balmy Beaches in the heart of Toronto’s Beach community, broadly located south of Queen Street East, between Woodbine and Victoria Park Avenues. They will remain in place until 27 March.

The theme of the programme is ‘Catalyst’, and the judges selected submissions that open up the waterfront landscape and reinvent the space for visitors – with thought put into how materials may be re-purposed or reused in future iterations.

"It's thrilling for the founders to see the city truly embrace Winter Stations,” said Ted Merrick, Winter Stations co-founder. “The anticipation for this year's stations was matched by the enthusiasm of everyone who has turned out. This competition has taken on a life of its own and we are excited to see where it goes next.”

The Winter Station installations

The eight designs, explained by their creators

I See You Ashiyu by Asuka Kono and Rachel Salmela from Toronto, Canada

I See You Ashiyu

This installation uses the idea the Japanese hot spring and warm water to provide physical relief from the cold. By creating a landscape-based gathering space on the beach, this installation emphasises the contrast in the seasons and recalls memories of a summer beach.

North by Studio PERCH from Montreal, Canada

North

Using the poetic concept of the great 'North', this installation conjures a powerful and eternal image that transports visitors to an imagined forest. The work suspends 41 fir trees in mid-air, creating an evocative and colour-saturated canopy that stands out against the white of winter.

Collective Memory by Mario García from Barcelona, Spain and Andrea Govi from Milan, Italy

Collective Memory

Inspired by the statistic that by 2031 nearly one-half of the Canadian population over the age of 15 will be foreign-born or the child of a migrant parent, Collective Memory aims to be the catalyst of present and shared anecdotes. Constructed out of recycled bottles – the archetype for the lost message – two translucent walls will shield the existing lifeguard structure, creating a threshold between shore and city.

BuoyBuoyBuoy by Dionisios Vriniotis, Rob Shostak, Dakota Wares-Tani and Julie Forand from Toronto, Canada

BuoyBuoyBuoy

Capturing the impression of a series of buoys moving in the waves, BuoyBuoyBuoy uses many small parts to create a whole. Each component is the silhouette of a buoy from afar creating a fog or a cloud around the lifeguard station like drops reflecting and refracting the light.

The Beacon by Joao Araujo Sousa and Joanna Correia Silva from Porto, Portugal

The Beacon

The concept translates into the archetypical lighthouse conical shape, reduced to its simplest expression and conformed to the lifeguard stand proportions and wrapped in aged wood. The Beacon will act as a temporary drop-off location for non-perishable items such as canned food or clothes.

Flotsam and Jetsam by University of Waterloo, Ontario

Flotsam and Jetsam

As visitors approach from the vantage of the city the 20ft high sculpture generates curiosity and invites a closer look. The installation reveals the realities of plastic consumption, resulting waste and its effects on the aquatic biodiversity of the planet we share.

Aurora by Humber College School of Media Studies & IT, School of Applied Technology, Toronto, Ontario

Aurora

From afar, the structure is incognito, reflecting the surrounding environment and fading into it. Entering the space, the explorer views misconstrued, mirroring illustrations of themselves and their surroundings.

Midwinter Fire by Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto, Ontario

Midwinter Fire

Midwinter Fire provides visitors with the opportunity to engage with an augmented winter forest creating an immersive experience that reframes Southern Ontario’s vegetation in contrast with the exposed winter landscape of the beach. This installation uses the simple idea of reflectivity to expand the illusion of an urban forest and to make the project disappear into the surrounding landscape.

Winter Stations  Canada  Toronto  architecture  design  public art 
Related stories
07 Feb 2017

Hands up! Large-scale art installations warm up Toronto's winter waterfront

10 Jan 2017

Toronto tackles winter blues with 8 thought-provoking beach installations

25 Feb 2016

Beach art competition: Winter Station winners go on display in Toronto

Torontonians have flocked to the city’s beach in record numbers to experience the unveiling of eight brand new Winter Stations installations along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. The creators of the attractions, who were chosen in a design competition, were tasked with designing “playful” structures – based around the beaches’ lifeguard stations – capable of drawing people into the chilly outdoors to interact with the icy environment. The installations include
CLD,VAT,AAC,ARC,DES
Flotsam and Jetsam by University of Waterloo, Ontario / Winter Stations
More news
News stories: 1 - 30 of 7782     
 
 
 
News stories: 1 - 30 of 7782     
 
 
 
company profile
Company profile: Curry Spa Consulting
Curry Spa Consulting has been providing clients in the high-end and luxury hospitality sector with spa design, programming, guidance and oversight since 2011.
Try cladmag for free!
Sign up with CLAD to receive our regular ezine, instant news alerts, free digital subscriptions to CLADweek, CLADmag and CLADbook and to request a free sample of the next issue of CLADmag.
sign up
features
Euphoria Retreat
"Come to Euphoria Retreat if you’re looking for a full health-boost, you’ll leave feeling completely rejuvenated"

Wellbeing Escapes and Well Home have partnered to bring you this special offer for the Euphoria Retreat in Greece

The suites are sleek, modern and calming, with natural colours and materials
"Wellness embraces the entire holiday experience"

The design of the newly-opened Lefay Resort and Spa Dolomitti in Italy aims to celebrate and protect its spectacular surroundings

Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
To advertise in our catalogue gallery: call +44(0)1462 431385
features
Kengo Kuma’s Ginzan Onsen Fujiya features a striking atrium surrounded by a delicate screen made from bamboo
"The difference between a hotel and a ryokan is that a hotel is more public and a ryokan is less intense and more intimate"

Across Japan, architects are giving traditional ryokans a modern makeover with surprising results. We take a look

Visitors walk through the museum via two ramps that spiral down around a central atrium
Ben van Berkel
"Making buildings more healthy is definitely the future"

UNStudio’s Ben van Berkel shares what he’s learned from projects including the Mercedes- Benz Museum and the Theatre de Stoep

Libeskind brought music to spaces such as a hospital surgical room
Daniel Libeskind has designed a number of public spaces that deal with difficult or painful historical events
"Architecture can only thrive in a democratic environment"

The Polish-American architect on how his buildings explore memory and identity

features
Thomas Christoffersen
"We were rooted in the traditions of Danish design, but inspired by what was happening elsewhere."

On the journey from being Bjarke Ingels' first intern to BIG partner

The Berkeley recently unveiled its new RSHP-designed façade, which is part of a wider redesign of the hotel
Richard Rogers partner RSHP
"Leisure space is at the very root of democracy. We have to defend our public spaces"

On defending our public spaces

cladkit product news
Koto Design introduces wood-fired hot tub
Koto is known for crafting modular, energy-neutral cabins and homes
Katie Barnes
A striking wood-fired hot tub has been unveiled by Koto, an architecture and design studio which has a passion for ...
Jaffe Holden helps bring Academy Museum of Motion Pictures alive
Jaffe Holden provided architectural acoustics for the Academy Museum
Magali Robathan
Acoustical consulting firm Jaffe Holden provided architectural acoustics and audio/video design services for the recently opened Academy Museum of Motion ...
Alberto Apostoli designs tech-forward Wellness Therapy furniture collection for Varaschin
The furniture collection draws on absolute geometries, pure lines, neutral colours and strong references to nature
Megan Whitby
Furniture manufacturer Varaschin has unveiled the new Wellness Therapy range, designed by Italian spa and wellness architect and designer Alberto ...
cladkit product news
Mather & Co and ITV unite to create Coronation Street Experience
Mather & Co has transformed the visitor centre into the ultimate haven for ardent Coronation Street viewers
Magali Robathan
Experience designers, Mather & Co, have orchestrated a remarkable collaboration with ITV to unveil the new Coronation Street Experience, a ...
Siminetti unveils iridescent decorative panelling range inspired by plants
The Clematis design
Megan Whitby
The Botanicals is Siminetti’s newest Mother of Pearl decorative panelling collection, inspired by the distinctive patterns found in botany and ...
Codelocks develops new glass door smart lock
The new lock model allows facilities and building managers to create and manage access via an app or online portal
Megan Whitby
Codelocks has launched its first glass door smart lock to bring intelligent access control to modern spa, leisure, fitness and ...
cladkit product news
Alberto Apostoli and Newform collaborate to launch the A.Zeta showerhead
The showerhead offers two modes; rainfall or waterfall
Megan Whitby
Italian architect Alberto Apostoli has renewed his partnership with Newform – an Italian wellness company – and designed A.Zeta. A.Zeta ...
Eden project uses drones to spell out climate change warning
Magali Robathan
Almost 300 drones were used to signal an environmental message above the Eden Project’s biomes, during the UN Climate Change ...
Eco Resort Network conference to convene in Mauritius this May
The event will be hosted in the Mauritius in 2024
Megan Whitby
Hospitality industry event Eco Resort Network is set to take place at the Ravenala Attitude Hotel, Turtle Bay, Mauritius, from ...
x
Sign up with CLAD for regular news updates
The Leisure Media Company Ltd
The Leisure Media Company Ltd