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.
