Warming Huts: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice, is open for entries for 2026 to participants from all over the world.
The competition is open to all architects, students of architecture, landscape architects, interior designers, artists and industrial designers who have a proven portfolio of design work. It is intended to foster and encourage the formation of multi-disciplinary teams.
Winning entries will be placed along the Nestaweya River Trail located on the Assiniboine and Red rivers in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A jury will select the winning designs based on their creativity in use of materials, providing shelter, poetics of assembly and form, integration with the landscape, and ease of construction. Three teams will be selected as winners.
The huts or installations are placed along the Nestaweya River Trail at The Forks in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Forks is located in downtown Winnipeg, at the junction of the Red River and the Assiniboine River. The intersection of the two rivers historically has made the area a popular meeting place for over 6,000 years. In recent times, the site has developed into a popular destination for tourists and locals alike, with over four million visitors annually.
In winter, the rivers are also used as an alternate route to access downtown by foot, bike, skates and skis. There are opportunities for curling, hockey and much more. With many access points, the Nestaweya River Trail, is a link between communities in Winnipeg. The River Trail is regularly groomed and monitored for any safety concerns. There will also be extra security at night in an attempt to prevent people from loitering or damaging the huts.
Weather in Winnipeg during the months of January and February can be extremely cold with temperatures reaching below –30C. Teams are encouraged to engage the effects of solar radiation, wind chill, and the constantly shifting landscape of the snow-covered river. The depth of the ice on the Assiniboine and Red River at the end of January can be as deep as 1 meter thick.
The budget for the creation and construction of each project is $16,500 (CAN). This budget is divided in the following fashion:
up to $3,500 for the designers’ honorarium
up to $7,500 (including taxes) for the purchase of materials and/or the employment of consultants necessary for the realization of the project. This budget is managed jointly by The Forks and the designer
up to $4,000 for labour costs for the construction of the project
up to $1,500 for Construction Management conducted by The Forks
Started in 2009, Warming Huts: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice has been melding world-class design and art with Winnipeg’s famous winters. The competition has seen entries from across the globe and caught the attention of international architecture publications and awards, as well as admiration from newspapers such as the New York Times.
Warming Huts is an open competition, supported by the Manitoba Association of Architects. Proposals for the competition are submitted online via the official website. Once entries are submitted, a blind jury selects designs that best “push the envelope of design, craft and art.”
fee: none
deadline: 7 October 2025
more info: https://www.warminghuts.com/
