Warming Hut 2012 Designs Unveiled

The Forks, Winnipeg – The warming huts on this year’s river trail are an eclectic collection of varying interpretations of shelter, it was revealed today.
Five new huts will grace the trail this year with their combination of warming functionality and stunning art and architecture.
The first, and possibly the most anticipated hut, comes from world renowned invited architect, Frank Gehry.
“Over the past two years this competition has grown exponentially in terms of international recognition. Case in point, Frank Gehry agreed to participate base on an ask by letter,” says Paul Jordan, Chief Operating Officer, The Forks. “Having Gehry and his team participate is the icing on a very big cake.”
Gehry, the designer behind such iconic projects as the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the Dancing House in Prague, and the Strata Center in Cambridge, will design a hut made from large blocks of ice entitled, FIVE-HOLE. The blocks are slated to be shipped from Montreal especially for Gehry’s project.

Three huts were chosen from over 40 other entries in the open design competition. The winning designs, WIND CATCHER, Ice Pillows, and ROPE Pavilion represent Norway, Czech Republic and New York respectively.
“We saw some spectacular and fantastic ideas,” says Jordan, “It was a difficult task for the jury to only choose three designs. These three are going to blow people’s minds once they are built because they truly push the design envelope.”
The fifth and final hut, entitled HOTHUT, came from a call to University of Manitoba Architecture students who competed in teams for the final coveted spot.
”The University has developed a unique and functional hut providing more than just a shelter from the elements” says Jordan. “They plan to engage visitors in a social and cultural experience.”

The competition, supported in part by the Manitoba Association of Architects, was announced September 2011 with an open call for submissions through the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), the American Institute of Architecture, online at archiforum.com, and other prominent architectural websites.

The Warming Huts v.2011 An Art +Architecture Competition on Ice is made possible through the generous support of: Inn at the Forks, Manitoba Association of Architects, University of Manitoba, Faculty of Architects & Partners Program and KGS Group.

It is estimated the huts will be built in early January on site (weather pending) and brought down the river trail shortly after. Seven huts from previous years will join the five new huts on the ice.

Note to editors/directors: Design images and submission summaries are attached. Images are available digitally.

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