The winners of the 2018 Winter Stations International Design Competition

The winners of the annual Winter Stations International Design Competition have been unveiled, along with three more installations designed by local post-secondary schools.

The four winning designs are all international entries, so students from the University of Guelph, OCAD, and Ryerson are representing Ontario’s young, developing talent.

The designs will transform lifeguard stations standing along Kew, Scarborough, and Balmy Beaches in Toronto’s east end. The point of Winter Stations is to encourage people to explore this area of the city which is typically under utilized during the colder months.

“Yet again the submissions we received really blew us away with their creativity,” says Ward 32 Councillor and Winter Stations jury member, Mary-Margaret McMahon. “It was a tough choice narrowing it down but we are really excited to present the four winning installations and the three student designs, and we hope that the community welcomes them as some warm and colourful relief in this cold weather.”

The theme this year was RIOT. The jury asked participating designers, engineers, artists, architects, and other creative thinkers to use the past year’s political roller coaster as inspiration and to express their reflection via colour, form, and material.

“Provocative, political and audacious, the winning submissions have brought a fantastic riot to the beach this year,” says Lisa Rochon, Winter Stations design jury chair. “The jury considered every submission seriously and I believe the public will be amazed and delighted by this year’s installations on the beach.”

“It was important for us to allow the competition to evolve and reflect the global events of the past twelve months,” adds Winter Stations co-founder, Roland Rom Colthoff, RAW Design. “At the same time, the installations couldn’t stray too far from the main motive of Winter Stations, which is to bring joy, warmth and conversation to the long, cold Canadian winter landscape.”

The Winter Stations will be unveiled February 19, 2018 and remain standing on the beaches until April 1, 2018.

So far, this year’s sponsors include the City of Toronto Parks and Recreation, Ontario Association of Architects, Great Gulf Communities, Urban Capital, Dimirov, Bousefields, Ontario Association of Landscape Architects, Bridging Finance, Rockport, Diamante Developments, Edzar Group, Marlin Spring, Fieldgate Homes, and Hunter and Associates. More sponsors will be announced closer to launch day.

2018 Winter Stations

Pussy Hut by Martin Miller and Mo Zheng (USA)

You may recognize the pink knitted hat from the Women’s March movement last year. In this case, it also serves as a reminder to remember your toque and stay warm this winter!

Obstacle by Kien Pham (UK)

This interactive installation is a puzzle that requires teamwork. It’s a metaphor for all the obstacles in the world that we must overcome together.

Make Some Noise!!! by Alexandra Grieß and Jorel Heid (Germany)

This “oversized noisebox” is inspired by Luigi Russolo’s “intonarumori,” which was a controversial and groundbreaking experimental instrument designed in the early 1900s.

Wind Station by Paul van den Berg and Joyce de Grauw (Netherlands)

This design is inspired by the need for renewable, sustainable energy. The pinwheels are in the shape of a nuclear cooling tower to symbolize the phasing out of nuclear energy.

Rising Up (top image) by the University of Guelph, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development

Project Team: Alexander Good, Austin Huang, Kevin Sadlemyer, Marc Cote, Stephan Stelliga, Zixiang Chen, BLA students, University of Guelph, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development and Nadia Amoroso, PhD, ASLA, Faculty Representative, University of Guelph, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development

Inspired by the natural landscape of Don Valley and its battle against urbanization.

NEST by Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario

Project Team: Adrian Chiu, Arnel Espanol, Henry Mai

Based on the idea of comfort within a complex system, NEST is also playful with colourful webbing.

Revolution by OCAD, Toronto, Ontario

Creative Team: Ben Chang, Anna Pogossyan, Amr Alzahabi, Carlos Chin, Iris Ho, Tracee Jia, Krystal Lum, Adria Maynard, Purvangi Patel and Judiette Vu

If you want to start a revolution, you need to check out this installation made up of 36 horns.