F_RMlab Waterloo Architecture

Under the Crest 🌊

Now that the Winter Stations exhibition has ended, we're reflecting on our success this year! Working through tight timelines, a limited budget, and 260+ CNC pieces waiting to be fabricated, Crest finally made it onto the beach a month ago. In the making of this installation, we learned an incredible amount about fabrication efficiency, assembly methods, weather resistance, structural stability, storage and logistics, and transportation. Special thanks to some of our sponsors @bluescapemgmt , @weef.foundation and @wasa.arch - without your help, we could not have brough Crest to life! Thank you again to the @f__rmlab team, and to everyone who offered us guidance, support, and encouragement along the way.

A little teaser of the work behind bringing Crest to life. Huge thank you to @bluescapemgmt Bluescape Construction Management for sponsoring our @winter.stations this year — your support has been invaluable. Full film coming soon...

Installation Day - Part 3 The Brightest night 😏 . . . #winterstations #rawdesign #winterstations2026

Crest   Project led by @f__rmlab , directors: Clay te Bokkel, Isabella Ieraci, Matthew Lam, Yuxuan Peng, Sasha Rao (AE), Simon Huang (AE) and David Shen (AE) Supervisor: Fiona Lim Tung, John McMinn   Crest is a student-led, design-build installation produced by F_RMlab at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture for @winter.stations 2026, an international competition transforming Toronto’s lifeguard stations into immersive works of public art. This year’s theme, Mirage, invited participants to address the “boundary of what is seen and what is real in the age of AI”, exploring art as a medium that disengages from the digital world by immersing audiences in shared, tactile experiences.   Crest emerges from the sand and snow of the Toronto Beaches as a sweeping wave positioned moments before break. From a distance, the installation resembles a mere pile of driftwood on the beach. Approaching the structure, the geometry of the wave gradually reveals itself. The waffled plywood form acts as an illusion where individual elements shift and vanish depending on the viewer’s perspective, merging with the landscape beyond. The cantilever of the wave envelops and invites visitors to gather, sharing a moment to pause and take in the vast Lake Ontario coastline. Like the fleeting moment of a wave crashing onto shore, the installation serves as a reminder that reality is finite, and fulfillment is found in being present.   Constructed from CNC-fabricated maple plywood, Crest explores the expressive and structural potential of wood built to withstand harsh winter conditions. Its systematic design allows for efficient assembly, and material economy emphasizes sustainability and durability. Following the Winter Stations competition, the installation is planned to be reused for summer community events in Cambridge, Ontario.   The project engaged undergraduate and graduate students from architecture and architectural engineering programs in all stages of concept design and fabrication. Students gained hands-on experience in small-scale timber construction through design-build pedagogy, working collaboratively to cut, assemble, finish, and install the final project on-site.

Installation Day - Part 2 Romantic blue hour ❄️

Installation Day - Part 1 Yesterday’s @winter.stations installation was an enormous success! Huge thanks to all the amazing people from @f__rmlab and @uw_archeng . We couldn’t have done it without any of you!

Collaborating with @uw_archeng students, Part 2. Finally we are near the finish line 🤓

From raw plywood to stained layers. Shoutout to our amazing @f__rmlab team for their hard work.

Collaborating with @uw_archeng students, Part 1. Base coming soon.

There’s officially TWO WEEKS until the Winter Stations opening day on February 16th! Endless work on the CNC finally done 😎

Behind the scenes - @f__rmlab directors have been cutting pieces on the CNC non-stop!