WINNIPEG — Talented architects and artists from around the world are showing off their masterpieces at The Forks as part of the 10th annual Warming Huts competition.
While some of the designs won’t necessarily keep you warm, the competition is more about the visual element rather than to shield visitors from the city’s wintry elements.
The Droombok is a warming hut designed by Noël Picaper, Onomiau (Office for Nomadic Architecture)
from Paris, Strasbourg, France. (HANDOUT)
“The Warming Huts competition — which started out totally organically with the creative community right here in Winnipeg — continues to attract fantastic art and architecture to our community,” says Paul Jordan, CEO, The Forks Renewal Corporation.
“This year we have winners from Canada, France and Japan, and our invited artist is from right here at home — which coincides really nicely with the celebrations of Manitoba 150, who is supporting the creation of skating and walking trail amenities at The Forks this year.”
This year’s winners are The Droombok, designed by Noël Picaper, Onomiau (Office for Nomadic Architecture) from Paris/Strousbourg, France; Forest Village, designed by Ashida Architect & Associates Co. in Tokyo, Japan; and S[HOVEL] designed by Modern Office + Sumer Singh, MTHARU/Mercedes + Singh in Calgary.
Submissions were chosen by a “blind” jury, who didn’t receive any background information on the submitted designs or where they were from.
Forest Village is a warming hut designed by Ashida Architect & Associates Co. from Tokyo, Japan. (HANDOUT)
THE STAND is an addition by the Manitoba Building Trades + Mistecture Architecture and Interiors Inc. (HANDOUT)
The 2020 Warming Huts will join about 20 huts from previous years, which are placed along the extended Manitoba 150 Trails and rinks. Additional huts will be coming from Manitoba Building Trades as well as the University of Manitoba Faculty of Architecture.
While visiting the huts, you may also notice an ice stage near Johnston Terminal. Local band Royal Canoe will be performing a show on January 31 (7 p.m.) as part of Manitoba 150 celebrations.
“This is a big Manitoba celebration of our province’s 150th anniversary, so on that theme, local band Royal Canoe is our invited artist this year,” added Jordan.
“The band is working with internationally renowned ice architect Luca Roncoroni and Sputnik Architecture to put on a really unique, performance outdoors in the elements, using instruments constructed out of ice, on a stage designed and built from ice — thanks to FortWhyte Alive for allowing us to harvest ice at Muir Lake, with access to the Red River being basically impossible at The Forks site this year.”
