Community, Comfort, and Refuge
Hearth Hut, River Trail warming hut, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The Hearth Hut is a proposal for an outdoor installation to promote interaction and community along the Red River Mutual Trail in Manitoba, Canada. Designed to draw visitors from a distance as well as in close proximity, the hut plays on the iconographic shape of a house with its simple pitched roof and chimney to evoke a sense of comfort and familiarity.

When seen from a distance, this warming hut is meant to be instantly recognized by young and old alike: its simple “house” shape offers visitors comfort and fellowship on the frozen landscape. When experienced up close, visitors feel warmth emanating from the hearth, which is embedded in a mass of tightly stacked logs. The rough surface and smell of freshly-cut timber adds to a sense of coziness and connection with the outdoors.

The hut’s double-faced design permits individuals or groups to gather on either side of the installation; visitors can stand for a short stop, or arrange the movable seating (in the form of cut logs) for longer stays. The construction method proposed for the installation is easy to fabricate and would rely on locally procured timber.