LU architecture students showcased at design competition with 'Aurora Borealis' design concept

A luminous red-violet chandelier that echoes the northernnight sky will adorn the beaches in Toronto, thanks to the ingenuity of a design team from the Sudbury's Laurentian University School of Architecture.

Six students, with the guidance of school director Terrance Galvin, are the onlygroup from northern Ontario to be selected to compete in an architecture design contest in Toronto called "Winter Stations".

It invitedsubmissions by creatives from around the world to imagineplayful, evocative temporary structures that wouldtransform the beaches' uniform lifeguard towers into an interactivemeditation on the theme "Freeze/Thaw".

The Laurentian team submitted a design called "Aurora Borealis" a nod to the dazzling colours that dance so iconically across the black night skies in Canada's north and beat out hundreds of other submissions for a top spot in the competition.

Standing about about 4.5 metrestall "[and] made from sewn fabric, LED lights and a welded aluminum frame, Aurora is a kinetic sculpture," said a description of the project on the web sitearchdaily.com.

And, thanks to developments inpigments that can change with heat, visitors can change the colour of the dynamic, illuminated tubes by "thawing" themwith a warm touch.

Listen to the complete interview with some of the design team here.

Morning North7:40LU Architecture students win award for winter station design

What exactly is a winter station? A team of students at the Laurentian School of Architecture have a pretty good idea. They actually won an award for their design of one. We had three of the team members join us in studio to tell us all about it.