Category: Landscape Architecture
Landscape Architect: Public City Architecture Inc.
Owner/Client: City of Winnipeg
Structural Engineer: Wolfrom Engineering
Electrical Engineer: Nova3 Engineering
Contractor: Gardon Construction
Photographer: Stationpoint Photographic
Jurors described this project as “Winnipeg’s first universally-accessible toboggan slide structure,” and a place that “represents the city’s commitment to barrier-free social infrastructure.” It is simultaneously an artificial landscape and built structure, not unlike many Olympic sports venues, providing a perfect setting for engaging winter activities and, given the Prairies’ flatness, a welcome topographic addition. The fully accessible structure incorporates two slides, a lookout tower and a warming hut that extends into the forest. The tower features a laser-etched panel graphic of a regional sweater pattern—a subtle reference to other cultural determinants that make life possible on the Prairies. Its steel frame and wood cladding feel tectonically robust, purposeful, and executed with skill and imagination. This is a landscape apparatus that will quietly wait for the annual snowfall—and the delighted shrieks of children—for years to come.