Toronto's sandy beaches offer a great place to unwind and enjoy the sunshine during the Summer, but with the mercury dropping to frigid levels this time of year, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that beaches around the city are lacking in visitors. Inviting and engaging art is one of the many ways of making the waterfront more appealing during the Winter, and this February, a series of one-off art installations will do just that as the result of Winter Stations, an international design competition.

Founded by RAW Design, Ferris + Associates and Curio, the inaugural Winter Stations competition received over 200 submissions from around the world from artists, architects and designers hoping to re-purpose several lifeguard stations along Kew, Scarborough and Balmy Beaches. 

Rope-wound Winter Refuge submission, image courtesy of Winter Stations

Though they serve a purpose when beaches are open for swimming, lifeguard stations stand idle for about two thirds of the year. During the Winter Stations competition, installations will be mounted on and built around these steel pipe structures, giving them a new purpose in celebration of Toronto's undera-ppreciated Winter landscapes. All installations will have to refrain from covering the shepherds' hook, the lifesaving ring and any emergency signage on the lifesaving stations, so it will be interesting to see how these elements are incorporated into the designs.

Installations will debut February 16, 2015 and stay there until March 20, 2015.

For additional information about the competition, check out www.winterstations.com. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment using the space provided at the bottom of this page.