An Edmonton Rainbow Ice Igloo Built by Family and Friends

Daniel Gray, Kathleen Starrie and her family turned coloured ice blocks into a glowing Edmonton backyard igloo. The finished dome is striking, but the early circular courses make the transformation especially satisfying to follow.

Repetition creates the pattern

Small blocks retain their individual colours while becoming part of a larger curved surface. At night, illumination makes the walls read almost like stained glass.

The photographs document one family project

The original account describes several days of work during a visit to Canada. It does not supply an engineered shelter design or establish how the structure behaved as temperatures changed. The enduring appeal is shared effort and a clear visual idea, with ordinary containers helping shape something temporary and memorable.

Explore more: another coloured-ice backyard build; seasonal snow rooms operated in the mountains.

A visit from New Zealand became a shared project

Daniel Gray was visiting Canada with Kathleen Starrie to meet her family when the backyard idea took shape. The original account credits her parents and a neighbour with helping during the five-day build. Her mother, Brigid Burton, described wanting to give him a substantial project during the visit. That social beginning is part of why the finished structure became a memorable story.

Milk-carton blocks made the colour repeat

The collected cartons gave the ice units a recurring shape, while added colour varied their appearance. The early courses show that repetition before a full enclosure is visible. Following the rows as they curve and rise makes the final dome easier to understand as a collection of small decisions rather than a sudden finished object.

The interior and nighttime view complete the sequence

The interior changes the experience of the coloured blocks. From outside, they form a patterned object in the backyard; from within, their repeated shapes wrap around the viewer. Illumination adds another change, bringing the colours forward against the darkness. Seen alongside the early rows and the stacks of cartons, the finished dome becomes the conclusion of a shared project rather than an isolated spectacle. The construction photographs explain the family’s work, while the final views show why the effort became such a memorable part of the visit.