Architectural Ice Breakers: 5 Striking Winter Pavilions Land in Toronto

Every year, around the world, cities invest in public installations as a way to bring life, inspiration and dynamism into the streets and open spaces of their urban landscapes. North of the border, Toronto is no exception. Winter Stations, a program founded in 2015 by equal partners RAW, Ferris + Associates — two architecture firms based in the Ontario capital — and curio, a public art management and consulting practice, is thriving as it enters its second year of programming for the city.

In collaboration with Waterfront BIA and PortsToronto, Winter Stations has erected five playful and engaging installations created by designers from around the world. The name of the event, Ice Breakers, makes reference to the utilitarian ships that used to roam Toronto’s harbor, breaking up frozen bodies of water to keep commerce flowing in and out of the port. For Toronto locals who will be familiar with the areas, the structures are located at Canada Square, Peter Street Basin, Music Garden East, Rees Street Parkette and HTO Park.

It is common and encouraged for cities that deal with long winters to invest in weather-appropriate activities and prompt their residents to continue enjoying public urban spaces despite the cold. “Ice Breakers is a celebration of the Waterfront area in winter,” confirms Carol Jolly, the Waterfront BIA Executive Director. Following is a roundup of this year’s structures exhibited throughout the city until February 26.

Photos by Light Monkey Photography

IceBox by Polymetis

IceBox is a playful reference to the expected shelter from the cold that structures should offer. The shiny black cube stands on the shore of HTO Park, among deserted sun umbrellas that remind us of another, warmer season.

Photos by Light Monkey Photography

Incognito by Jaspal Riyait and Curio Art Consultancy

An assemblage of architectural massing models, ‘Incognito’ suggests the chaos that a city would be if architectural interventions were invisible. The patterns on the sculptures adopt the same camouflaging technology used by warships, such that the wintery environment renders them hard to see.

Photos by Andy Barrow

Leeward Fleet by RAW Design

RAW’s contribution to the Ice Breakers installation consists of three pivoting structures placed at the head of Canada Square. Sail-like in form, the structures can be rotated around their base, an irresistible invitation for children of all ages.

Photo by Light Monkey Photography

Photos by Andy Barrow

Tailored Twins by Ferris & Associates

“Tailored Twins” consists of a pair of gold-mirrored, faceted hands rising three meters and standing on the lookout points of the Peter Street Basin. Facing each other from one end of the bridge to the other, the hands illuminate the area with a warm glow and suggest an invisible space of protection between their palms.

Photo by Light Monkey Photography

Photo by Andy Barrow

Winter Diamonds by Platant

Designed to be viewed at dark, “Winter Diamonds” is made up of solid structures that utilize a sheer, shimmering material to let the light from embedded neon lamps shine within the winter nightscape.

The installations will be on view through February 26, while Winter Stations is set to return to the beaches of Toronto on February 20.