Colorful Ice Teepees Release Fruity Scents As They Melt

Ice teepees and ice hotels are undeniably cool (pun unintended), but as more and more pop up throughout the globe, maybe it's time to customize them a bit so each can stand out on its own.

Frozen Flora by Swedish architecture firm Visiondivision may have the ice hut that separates the wheat from the chaff (at least visually). The team entered Frozen Flora to this year's Warming Huts Competition, and we hope they get the top prize this November.

The competition asks designers to create prototypes of next-gen shelters to potentially install along a skating trail on the Assiniboine River in Winnipeg, Canada. Frozen Flora is special because it includes six ice teepees that are physically supported (and stylized) with vibrant flowers, berries, and vegetables picked from six different time zones in Canada. These organic reinforcements include fibers that strengthen the ice and regulate its melting time.

When the ice huts melt as the weather warms (and this may happen sooner than expected, as Canada's arctic summers are now the hottest they've been in 44,000 years), the plants will release a fruitful scent to mark the transition. Can you think of a more cheerful way to enter the new season?

For giggles, we made a simple interpretation of what Jukkasjarvi, the most famous ice hotel, would look like if VisionDivision got its hands on the frozen bed and breakfast:

@zachsokol