Hotel to treasure puts remote Canadian island on the map...

It was at the end of last year when we first brought you news of a $25 million regeneration project at far-flung Fogo Island off the coast of Newfoundland – “rebuilding an isolated community through art and design” was how we introduced it, and 10 months on we are there again for a progress report of sorts, welcoming the completion of the Fogo Island Inn.

The public building is an important phase of the overall project, and is strategically located between Barr’d Islands and the brilliantly-named Joe Batt’s Arm on Fogo Island’s Back Western Shore. Saunders Architecture and Sheppard Case Architects have created a cross-shaped structure, with the four-storey branch containing all the guest accommodation running parallel to the shore to ensure great views on either side, and the two-storey section at a diagonal holds most of the public spaces. As befits a modern building in an area of natural beauty, all efforts have been made on the ecological front, with solar panels on the outbuildings generating the energy for heating and laundry, and filtered rainwater used for the toilets.

Local artisans have been used extensively to make furniture and decorate the interior in partnership with internationally renowned designers – chunky chairs, rockers and stools from Ineke Hans and the UK’s Glass Hill feature prominently, gelling nicely with the thick wooden floor planking and sauna decking on the roof terrace. And as for the surroundings, well, they speak for themselves…

@fogoislandinn