Prairie Castle

The winner of an open international design competition, Prairie Castle was installed on the frozen meeting point of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers at The Forks, Winnipeg as part of the 2025 Warming Huts series.

Prairie Castle is a playful and welcoming landmark, combining the distinctive form of a Manitoban icon – the grain elevator – with features borrowed from rugged ancient Scottish castles such as small offset windows and an imposing archway. Both of these building types are the dominant structures in their landscapes, and capture the essence of their respective contexts. The installation borrows its name from an affectionate nickname given to grain elevators, which reflects the importance these structures have in the history of the prairies.

The installation is a memorial to the lost grain elevators of Canada, the many colours of which are combined into a bold pattern wrapped around the tower. Having travelled down the Assiniboine River from prairie to city, collecting fragments of forgotten elevators along the journey, the design brings together the rich and varied stories of the plains into one landmark on the ice. Visitors drawn to the tower to seek shelter are greeted by an ever shifting pattern of shadows and colour, as lights fall through coloured windows onto the calming blue interior.

Contractor: Anvil Tree
Project Coordinator: Sputnik Architecture