Winter Stations 2025 winners encapsulate the coming of a new 'Dawn' for Toronto

The eleventh annual Winter Stations competition has revealed its selection of participants for 2025 as chosen by jury members Adam Barrett, Lily Jeon, Jon Jeronimus, Aaron Knight, and Alana Mercury.

They outlined this year's theme of 'Dawn' as the "beginning of a new era" for the competition and a "fresh chapter in its creative journey", adding: "Just as the first light of morning breaks through the darkness, the exhibition will explore the moments of profound change that redefine and shape our existence, highlighting the delicate process of shedding old layers to emerge as something new."

Furthermore, they say, "Dawn represents the shift from night to day, and this year, designers are invited to explore how Winter Stations can evolve, and to consider the future of the exhibition and its relationship with the public and the environment. Through this lens, Dawn challenges designers to explore how Winter Stations can adapt, grow, and metamorphose in the coming years, shaping the urban landscape in imaginative and innovative ways."

Once again, teams are limited to materials budgets of $5,000 CAD (appx. $3,500 USD), with another $10,000 CAD ($7,000 USD) limit on the amount spent for design and construction labor. 

The stations are further limited to a footprint no larger than 10 square meters (107.6 square feet). Each will be on view for a period of six weeks. The Toronto Metropolitan University and The University of Waterloo School of Architecture were the educational partners for the 2025 competition.

Watch by Trae Horne (USA)

Description: "As the morning sun crests above Lake Ontario’s horizon, a new day dawns on the crisp morning, and a wood canvas basks in the light. Watch reflects on the specific point in time that it and visitors are within. The large, canted façade acts as a leaning respite for watchers of the sunrise and lake. Facing due east, Watch is a solar aligned structure anticipating equinox. Just as ancient civilizations marked the earth in ways to signify the time in the year and an important place, so too does Watch. Three metal lines embedded in the sand follow the shadows throughout the three days: the day Winter Stations open, the equinox, and the day the Winter Stations close. The a-framed structure captures the equinox in Toronto as the architecture becomes perfectly aligned with the sunrise when light spills in a straight line through the open threshold."

Slice of Sun by Cláudia Franco, Mariam Daudali, Tom Byrom (Portugal)

Description: "For a moment, we project our memories of summer. When you live in a city, dawn is mainly brought to you by glimpses of orange light scattered from your neighbour’s windows switching from one to the other. One wonders how many dreams can fit into the blinking box of orange curtains. We invite you to enter into our slice of sun and feel embraced by dawn light at any time of the day. The symmetrical structure is designed for easy assembly with its simple shapes and straightforward concept. The internal steps provide structural support whilst allowing a place where people can escape from the outside world, a quick break to bathe in the warm orange tones provided by the illuminating materials."

Parade by Jesse Beus (USA)

Description: 'Parade is a celebration of those who live in the warm dawn of self–acceptance. It is comprised of six characters each with their own unique colour, shape, purpose, and identity. Together this eclectic cast of follies proudly march together in an unstoppable procession and invite all to join them! Users join the parade through an archway and move from character to character discovering each’s personality and interactivity, including sliding, sitting, and shading. Despite anything that might try to get in their way, these six friends will march on until love has dawned in all hearts."

Ascolto by Ines Dessaint, Tonin Letondu (France)

Description: "In Ascolto, the sound experience is commemorated. This acoustic shelter welcomes the user in a contemplation space, not only visually but also audibly. Supported adjacent to the lifeguard tower on one side and buried in the sand on the other, the object creates a sound capsule. The simple and minimalist shape is explicit and refers clearly to a sound-amplifier object (horn, wind instruments, gramophone and etc.). Built in wood, the inner space is big enough for 2 or 3 people for a more intimate experience. Visitors to the station bring the project to life by choosing their desired purpose and through this process adapt to it: hearing nature and its surroundings; appreciating the music chosen on their phones; or creating a musical performance. Usable as a horn on one hand, the project can also be utilized as an Ear Trumpet: the two sides are both the sender’s side and the receiver’s side."

Peak by Anita Hu, Catherine Zheng, Isaac Walsh, Jason Cai, Nadine Hijazi, Ricardo Espinoza, with faculty supervisor Fiona Lim Tung from the University of Waterloo Department of Architecture (Canada)

Description: "Emerging from the soft and organic beachscape are angular peaks that frame perspectives and form pathways. Consisting of repeating structures of select shapes and sizes, Peak is an interactive installation that visually contrasts the existing site and offers refuge from the cold winter environment. The design of the structure appears to shift and settle with the ground as the sand moves and collects within the alcoves and sloped surfaces from the wind. Peak welcomes contemplation and new beginnings, it offers opportunities for individuals to freely explore and admire the surrounding natural landscape and intends to give agency to the ever changing and unpredictable conditions of the site."

Solair by Arjun Jain (Lead), Jade Wong (Lead), Finn Ferrall, Marko Sikic, Nick Kisil, with faculty supervisor Vincent Hui from the Toronto Metropolitan University Department of Architectural Science (Canada)

Description: "Solair is a sculptural installation that captures the ephemeral beauty of dawn through the interplay of light, wind, and reflection. Inspired by the delicate transition from night to day, Solair amplifies the forces of nature – sunlight and air – transforming them into a dynamic, ever-changing visual and sensory experience. Standing as both a literal and metaphorical beacon, Solair is designed to reflect and refract sunlight while channeling the waterfront breeze to cultivate a distinct auditory expression. The installation’s dynamic surfaces respond to the movement of wind, creating rippling shadows and flickering patterns of light, echoing the energy of the first rays of morning and lasting glimpse of sunset. As visitors move around and through the installation, they become active participants in this amplified natural performance, immersed in the harmony of air and light."