The Shorefast Foundation and the Fogo Island Arts Corporation has commissioned Todd Saunders to design a series of six artists' studios on various Fogo Island locations. The organization is committed to preserving the Islanders' traditions and aims at rejuvenating the island through the arts and culture. Four out of the six studios have been built.
The Bridge Studio is dramatically located on a steep hillside overlooking the calm waters of an inland pond.
The Tower Studio is dramatically situated on a stretch of rocky coastline in Shoal Bay, Fogo Island, Newfoundland.
The Fogo Island Squish Studio is located just outside the small town of Tilting on the eastern end of Fogo Island.
The solitary, off-the-grid Long Studio, Located near the Newfoundland community of Joe Batt's Arm hovers on a series of stilts that lifts the structure above the ground to frame a view of the North Atlantic Ocean.
All six studios are one hundred per cent off the grid with no connection to public services. In the Long Studio, all heat is produced from solar panels on the roof and a small wood stove, rainwater is collected from the roof and stored in tanks in the concealed storage rooms to provide water for the shower and small kitchen. In addition, a compost toilet is installed and all excessive grey water is treated inside of the building. All six studios are autonomous - they do not rely on municipal water supply, sewer, natural gas, electrical power grid or similar utility services. In addition, to the building systems, the environmental impact of the construction was minimized by the use of local materials, which were largely transported to remote building sites by hand.