5 ways to embrace winter in Toronto (thanks to Daniels students, faculty, alumni)

1. Skate the Bentway. Designed by PUBLIC WORK (the same firm that created the landscape for 1 Spadina) with help from Greenberg Consultants (the firm of Ken Greenberg, BArch 1970), The Bentway is a unique new public space underneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway. On Thursdays, skate rentals are free, courtesy of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Don't know how to skate? Free skating lessons are offered on a first-come, first-served basis from 6:00 to 8:00pm (Kids, 6-12, 6–7pm, Adults, 12+, 7–8pm).

Visit The Bentway's website to learn more about the Bentway and their upcoming events.

Photo above by Sean Galbraith

2. Visit the Winter Light Exhibition at Ontario Place to see OBSCURA, an interactive installation designed by third year Master of Architecture students John Nguyen, Anton Skorishchenko, Stephen Baik, and Robert Lee. Travel in-between the frames of the piece to experience how the lights alter your experience. Ontario Place's Winter Light Exhibition is on now and runs until March 15.

Check out this video on how the students made this installation.

Photo courtesy of Ontario Place

3. Participate in some Ice Breakers. Public spaces along Toronto's central waterfront will come alive this winter with installations selected via an international competion thanks to a collaboration between Winter Stations and the Waterfront Business Improvement area. Take a winter walk along the water, and keep an eye out for Stellar Spactra by Dionisios Vriniotis and Daniels Faculty alumnus Rob Shostak (MArch 2010).

Icebreakers runs from January 19- February 24.

Image above: Rendering of Stellar Spactra by Dionisios Vriniotis and Rob Shostak (MArch 2010)

4. Explore Winter Stations at Woodbine Beach. Colourful, interactive installations will bring crowds to the beach again this winter starting in February. Be sure to check out Cavalcade, by Master of Architecture students John Nguyen, Anton Skorishchenko, Abubakr Bajaman, and Stephen Baik, and Assistant Peofessor Victor Perez-Amado, The installations will be revealed on February 13th and remain on display until April 1st, 2019.

For more information, visit Winter Stations website.

Image above: Rendering of Cavalcade by John Nguyen, Anton Skorishchenko, Abubakr Bajaman, and Stephen Baik and Assistant Peofessor Victor Perez-Amado

5. Attend one — or more — of our 2019 Home and Away public lectures. Get inspired by great talent and ideas from near and far during our series of discussions and debates on design issues of global importance. Upcoming lectures include including a dialogue between Finnish industrial designer, Ville Kokkonen, and Assistant Professor Charles Stankievech (Jan. 15), and a discussion featuring artists Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Krzysztof Wodiczko (Jan. 22). You might also be interested in the Urban IQ Test symposium (Jan. 18 and 19), which will take a deep dive into some of the contemporary rhetorics, histories and politics of the smart city phenomenon. All events are free and open to the public.

Image above by Bob Gundu