Seeing Celsius

What happens when we can see heat? By adding thermal-imaging technology to the familiar viewfinder found at scenic lookout points, LeuWebb Projects enables you to see the temperature differences across The Bentway space and the bodies that move through it. It’s a new perspective that will shift how you view urban spaces and the materials that shape them.

The Gardiner Expressway is a structure holding invisible energy within its concrete form that absorbs the sun’s heat throughout the day and releases it gradually at night – a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. At the same time, the shade created by the Gardiner provides relief from the sun, helping to maintain cooler temperatures for people below its roof.   

We can feel the exchange of heat and energy when the sun hits our skin, or when we touch a warm concrete column. But what happens when we see heat? How does making heat visible shift our relationship to the city and our urban design choices? 

Using thermal-imaging technology and the familiar viewfinders that are often found in parks or at scenic lookout points, Seeing Celsius invites you to look at the thermal qualities of The Bentway’s space and our bodies as we move through it. The fluctuations in temperatures felt within the environment and seen through the lens of the viewfinder result in a unique perspective on a familiar place – an ever-changing gradient, with cooler temperatures rendered in blue and heat-absorbing surfaces in red and orange. In reimagining the act of looking through a viewfinder, this new visibility brings awareness to the heat signature of materials we use to build cities; how their properties shape the way we inhabit public spaces, and how designers must adapt to create more climate-responsive, comfortable urban environments. 

There are two viewfinders that create Seeing Celsius. You can find the viewfinders at The Bentway Strachan Gate (near the west edge of the site), and at The Bentway Skate Trail (to the east).

What to expect: 

• Two viewfinders can be found at The Bentway Strachan Gate (west near Strachan Ave) and The Bentway Sate Trail (east near Gzowski Blvd), offering a unique visual experience showing heat variations in the environment.  
• The project offers an interactive opportunity to “see” heat and energy exchange in the cityscape. Some degree of visual acuity is required in order to experience the installation. 
• The viewfinder at Bentway Skate Trail is wheelchair accessible; the one closer to Strachan Avenue is accessible, but viewers must be able to reach 1.5m to look through. 
• All-gender and accessible washrooms available on-site at Bentway Skate Trail. Please visit The Bentway’s homepage for current washroom opening hours. 
• Benches are available nearby both locations for those who require seating.

collaborators

project team

LeuWebb Projects: Christine Leu, Alan Webb, and Christian Maidankine.
Software Technician: Graham Powell
Fabrication: Discreet + Discrete

supporters