Architecture Tour of Fogo Island
An Architecture Scavenger Hunt
Fogo island is a well-known architectural hotspot, mainly for the work by Saunders Architects. Saunders has a number of high-profile projects and one could argue that some tourists come just to stay or see the Fogo Island Inn. I knew about this goliath before but I’d forgotten about the smaller projects until I saw an interesting looking structure on the horizon. I wasn’t sure if it was someone’s private residence so I went to an art gallery to inquire and was told that it was one of four residence artist studios around the island.
I was delighted that from the road there was a narrow boardwalk over the tundra. This was an excellent approach to the architecture that was visible from a distance and slowly grew as I approached but was at times partially hidden by a small strand of firs. I appreciated the thoughtfullness of the extended approach and how it led to an object in the landscape. The studios aren’t open to the public but it’s okay to walk around so I took many photos and videos.
The modern architecture isn’t the only point of interest on the island. All of the communities have a rich fishing history and there are hundreds of small sheds perched on the edge of the water, precariously held up by hundreds of tilted stilts. These sheds, in their many colours, would make good inspiration and research for the vernacular architecture of the region.
The main attration to island is the Fogo Island Inn. Reportedly it costs upwards of 3,000 $/night so it’s well out of the range of most people but it does attract a lot of tourists, both as a place to stay (fully booked all summer) and sightseers. If anything, it’s the thing that’s probably put Fogo Island on the map.
I found the inn to be massive. It is huge when approached and drwafs the anciliary buildings beside it. By far it is the largest building on the island. But it is also beautiful being white and with either end lifted on piles it looks like modern architecture. A lot of times a large project becomes less refined but up close the Inn still maintained an interesting geometry and attention to detail that I could appreciate. The expense needed to stay at the end, however, could not be ignored.
After, when I went on to the second studio across the bay, I looked back at the Inn and felt like it fit well into the the panorama that was the community. It’s size no longer bothered me and the repetition of the windows seemed to echo the background order of the older community buildings.
The second studio was called the long studio and I liked it because it looked out over the water and in doing so seemed to reference a circle of stacked stones nearby that was a hunting blind called a gaze. The signpost said that hunters would shelter behind the rock wall waiting for wildlife to cross in front and then jump up to ambush. This was an interesting point because the studio is obviously situated to look out over the water just like the gaze so there’s a cultural history connection. Each of the studios are single room afairs but this one felt like it was intentionally larger at the back with a deck to host community events or art shows.
In Tilting I had to ask for directions but eventually found the third studio hidden behind a hill. It seems as if I’d seen the same view in a photograph online and that made me excited. I liked this one for the location near a really pretty heritage town but secluded on the other side of a hill. It was placed in the landscape with the ocean as the main draw and felt well balanced.
I had to asked the neighbour for directions for the last studio and he directed me to Deep Bay where a trail led into the hills. This was the smallest but no less impressive than the rest. To build it all the materials would have been trekked up the walking path and into the hills. Infact, all of the studios were far away from the road but having to hike up really stressed how the landscape had not been disturbed.
I also noted that the fourth studio could have been sited to look over the water or as a watchtower with a commanding all-around view but instead was focused on a small pond. It was very contemplative and I found that intention intriguing.
None of the studios were occupied at the time of my visit but there were several houses being constructed around the island so there appears to be a demand for new construction. I think it would be a nice place for a summer home, as would the surrounding area and I’d love to have the opportunity to design some cabins here. This part of Newfoundland is a scattering of large and small islands, shallow bays, and changing water that alternates between a rough exposure and a sheltered glass. The landscape is baslt geology at the edge of the forest which reminds me somewhat of Vancouver Island.
Of the four studios, each had something to appreciate. I really enjoyed the approach to the first studio and how the journey was part of the architecture. The cultural reference of the gaze at the second, the location of the third near a larger town but hidden behind a hill, and the contemplative nature of the last were also equally inspiring and gave me lots to think about. In particular, later I met a lady who told me about an architectural professor who’d written a book, Tilting about one of the communities. I’ll have to see about getting it once I have a mailing address to send it to.
Back on the mainland I visited the nearby Prime Berth Twillingate Fishery & Heritage Centre. This is an interesting tourist attraction because it appears to be a family run museum. It appears self-built one building at a time and each is filled with old stuff and pictures. As well, they have two whale skeletons outside.
I could tell that it was made by the family because the construction is really shoddy. The piers elevating the sheds above the water are a tumble of crooked stumps and some of the older sheds were largely rotten with a bunch of nails hammered in here and there — nothing that would stand up to any proper building inspection. Though one might be agasht at the safety implications, I welcome the flexibility and creativity unhindered by antiquated laws and saw the possibilities for creative architecture. It’s exciting to see that you can just do what you want without being restricted by stupid bylaws or building codes and the result is a querky tourist attraction.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that the Beothuk Interpretation Centre, Provincial Historic Site is near Fogo Island. This was kind of strange because it was clearly underfunded and not a lot of research had occurred since an initial investigation in 1985. The Beothuk were an indigenous people of Newfoundland that probably numbered less than a thousand people at the time of European contact and were eventually wiped out completely from European pressures, disease, and war. I’d first heard about the Beothuk at the Rooms museum in St. John’s but this interpretive centre didn’t give me much more information. There’s not a lot to begin with and the federal government’s reconciliation efforts don’t appear to have affect Newfoundland as much as elsewhere. This might be because the indigenous presence was small and fleeting to begin with or because the extinction of the Beothuks means there’s no one to bother the government.
