ROPE pavilion
Winner
Warming Huts 2012 International Design Competition
First Prize
Next Landmark, 13th Venice Biennale
In Winnipeg, the Assiniboine River is the world’s longest naturally frozen trail. Stretching west 10km from city center, it receives over 4 million visitors annually. With temperatures exceeding - 40 C, warming huts are placed every kilometer along the trail for visitors to escape the cold.
Through the combination of simple materials, ROPE pavilion, creates a highly articulated form and space while nestling itself into the Assiniboine River Trail’s Landscape. Its relationship of skin – unmanila rope and structure – birch frame, merge to form a warming hut whose dense shell blocks winter winds while still being perforated for light and views.
The wood interior creates a sense of warmth through color and texture and its multilayered rope exterior collects snow, further embedding it within the site. The hut’s dome-like form is optimized for heat retention, bifurcating only for an entry threshold and oculus to the sky above.
Project Team:
KNE studio:
Kevin Erickson, Adam Garrett, Johann Rischau, Mathew Strack, Martin Grym, Geoffery Clarkson, Kevin Jele, Alvin Hamilton, Anna Gutsch, William Hodges, Marlo Messier
Structural Engineer:
ARUP, New York NY
Public Artist:
Allison Warren