Snowcone, winter stations in Toronto

Kinetic snowcone winter station reimagines lifeguard post on toronto beach
“Snowcone” by Lily Jeon and Diana Koncan

Inspired by the form of a pine cone, the “Snowcone” was designed to act as a stained-glass greenhouse when it’s sunny, while using protruding white petals to catch falling snow and transform the hut into an igloo after a storm.
Built with 3/4 inch electrical metallic tubing conduits assembled using bolts. The installation is made up of translucent acrylic leaves and transparent coloured acrylic panels bolted to exterior. The exterior of the warming station is easily the most eye-catching of the installations, and the views from within the structure's multicolour panels are equally impressive.

the design adapts in response to the unpredictable toronto winter weather: in the sun, ‘snowcone’ becomes a multicolor greenhouse that filters in vibrantly hued light, just like stained glass. in stormy situations, its white petal-shaped apertures collect and redistribute snow to further insulate the interior, like an igloo. petals retract, protecting the structure on the windward side, and open up to views on the eastern side.