Canoes have been used extensively in transportation for thousands of years, contributing to humanity’s growth, strength, and freedom. The Ripple Hut, designed by Cesar Rodriguez Perfetti, Jake Kroft, and Dean Roumanis, was created by Toronto Metropolitan University for the International Design Competition held at Toronto beaches.
The design emulates the form of aggregated canoes and offers an alternative approach to the beauty and craft of canoe fabrication. Associate Professor Vincent Hui led the team, and the radiance of the Ripple Hut is expressed through form, materiality, and spatial interaction. The pavilion’s structural connections depict ripples in the water, and the apertures in the pavilion modules provide framed views of the surrounding context while reducing wind loads.
The aggregation of modules offers visitors shelter to engage and enjoy winter conditions. The Architectural Science Fabrication Lab used a Grasshopper script to generate the ripple shapes on metal composite panels, which were caved by a CNC, allowing for the canoe curvature to be achieved once each module was aggregated to create the pavilion.
The parameters could be manipulated to generate different variations in module dimensions. The Ripple Hut could be perceived differently in various contexts through haptics and the effect of light and shadow, expressing radiance through its metal finish on different colors on the interior and exterior. The pavilion will serve as a place of convergence for visitors, inviting them to interact with its spatial and material conditions.
Project Info
Designers: Cesar Rodriguez Perfetti, Jake Kroft, Dean Roumanis
Professor Lead: Vincent Huiö Toronto Metropolitan University, Department of Architectural Science
Location: Toronto, Canada
Year: 2023
Photographers: Winterstations, Jake Kroft, Julia Sider
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