Trifos | Ingonish Landing

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he site of the Ingonish Landing project is a small peninsula, jutting into Ingonish Harbour at the base of Cape Smokey. The Ingonish Business Development Group, with the cooperation of other property owners in the immediate area, contacted Trifos Design Consultants and CBCL Limited Consulting Engineers to undertake a conceptual development plan for the lands, with the emphasis on the vantageous location and great natural beauty.

In addition to the existing resources of the Ski Cape Smokey resort, and proposed Marina on the Bay, there is considerable interest in public-private partnering in the creation of a new Visitors’ Information and/or Interpretation Centre for the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Conceptual planning for the site focused on both the opportunities inherent in the natural and built environment, and the constraints arising from topographic challenges, vehicular and pedestrian access and egress to the highway, water supply and wastewater treatment, and provisions for protection of the natural beauty of the area.

Two concepts were developed. Concept I works with the existing site conditions, while Concept II considers a realignment of the highway in order to provide better visibility at vehicle turning areas between waterside and hillside development. Both concepts rely on the creation of a village centre, which integrates the forms and functions of the Visitors’ Centre, the ski operation, the hillside and waterside resorts and condominiums, the marina, and the associated commercial and retail activities. The village concept is intended to stimulate interest and development in the area by local, as well as non-local investors.

All facilities have been sited to best accommodate spatial requirements, minimize environmental impact, optimize lines of sight, and reflect servicing constraints. The waterside resort and condominiums have been located so as to maintain the environmental integrity of the peninsula, while taking advantage of views of Ingonish Harbour and the surrounding environs. These facilities will include a series of walking trails around the peninsula, linking with the marina and its associated businesses.

Four-season use of the site was critical to both concepts. All facilities were located so as to minimize the need for parking and other infrastructure, while maximizing the use of the site year round. Parking areas for the Visitors’ Centre and hillside resort, were planned so that parking requirements at the ski resort could be accommodated by the area available at the Visitors’ Centre, and resorts, with the reverse occurring in the busy summer season.