Wrong Turn

SHOW: All ARCHITECTURE FURNITURE OBJECTS

2025|Winnipeg,MB,Canada
Status: Built

Credits: Client: The Forks Renewal Corporation
Design: Unearthed Practice
Christopher Loofs, Jordan Loofs, Kaci Marshall
Project Management: Sputnik Architecture Inc.
Construction: Anvil Tree Inc.
Photography: Jordan Loofs

Wrong Turn:Norwood Bridge. Wrong Turn. Kerplunk.
Looking for gas, now taking a dunk.
Ice once was thicker, more solid, and colder.
Now here I am, swerving off of the shoulder.
Lo and behold, I did find a pump.
Watching my Canso sink like a chump.

Just wanted a top off, my gas tank to fill.
A wrong turn straight to an oil spill.
Why do we drive these carbon machines?
These gassers and guzzlers, oh so unclean!
Temperatures rising, a walk on thin ice.
We spin. We sputter. We roll the dice.

Selected as a winning entry to the 2025 Warming Huts competition, Wrong Turn brings a playful critique of climate change to life on the frozen Red River. A toy-like replica of the iconic Acadian Canso appears to have crashed through the ice, its body sinking into the frozen surface. Next to the sinking vehicle, a vintage gas pump raises questions—was this an accident, or the intended destination? Upon closer inspection, the car’s construction reveals tabbed joints, evoking the feel of a life-sized, build-it-yourself toy. Inside, two seats invite visitors to sit, shielded from the wind.

The installation’s cantilevered design simulates the moment of impact, supported by an HSS rolled steel substructure that holds the tabbed sheet steel form. Plexiglass windows shield from the elements while still allowing vision out, and directing the viewer’s eye down to the ice in front of them. The hazard taillights blink on and off as a warning while the familiar clicking sound echos within. The hut is lit by LEDs connected to a solar panel integrated into the gas pump—creating a glowing beacon at night, especially in fog, drawing people closer to explore.