Last rites
Crematorium in Amiens, France, designed by Plan 01 in 2015. A curvaceous concrete building with walls of ribbed concrete and golden-framed glass.
Amiens crematorium, France. A repeating circular motif helps visitors distance themselves from the “world of right angles” encountered in everyday spaces.
Ingleheim funeral chapel, Germany. Designed by Bayer & Strobel Architekten, 2012. The large quarry-stone walls ensure the enclosed space is a place of peace and contemplation.
Ingleheim funeral chapel. The simple but bright interior is dignified and appropriate to its purpose, and features a gable roof.
Chapel of St. Lawrence by Avanto Architects in Vantaa, Finland. This 2010 project features three different-sized whitewashed funeral chapels, a copper roof and a bell tower.
St Lawrence chapel. The patina in all copper surfaces in the chapel was added by hand, and on-site building and an emphasis on craft were distinct features of the project.
Seoul Memorial Park by HAEAHN Architecture, 2012. Very much integrated with the surrounding landscape, this crematorium features a peaceful courtyard and pool of water.
Seoul Memorial Park. Skylights and vaulted ceilings bring natural light into the building from above that is reflected in the polished marble floors.
Crematorium Kedainiai, Lithuania by Architektu Biuras G.Natkevicius ir Partneriai. The project is located on an industrial site alongside sugar mills and fertiliser factories.
Crematorium Kedainiai. The courtyard and interior surfaces are composed of concrete, glass and white plaster in muted colours to maintain a sombre mood.
Crematorium Baumschulenweg, Berlin, by Shultes Frank Architeckten. Ceremonial halls are boxes of split stone, set open-fronted into a second, slat-steered casing of glass.
Crematorium Baumschulenweg. A space of epic proportions that includes an array of columns featuring capitals of light, which represents spirituality, love and remembrance.
Crematorium Heimolen, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium by KAAN Architecten. Completed 2008, the crematorium building owes its character to the façade composed of concrete cassette tiles.
Crematorium Heimolen. In the ceremonial room, the perforation of the ceiling with large round lights reinforces the respectful, calm atmosphere.
Gubbio cemetery, Italy by Andrea Dragoni. 2011. A cemetery extension that features rows of huge travertine walls with site-specific artworks slotted in between.
Gubbio cemetery. The stone walls are laid out in sequence, intended to reflect the linear arrangement of the old town and surrounding landscape, and voids play a central role.
Communal crematorium, Denmark, by Henning Larsen Architects. Completed in 2013, the undulating ceiling and large windows of the interior create a warm but solemn atmosphere.
Communal crematorium, Denmark. The design emphasises flexibility of both function and non-religious spaces to sensitively accommodate all types of memorial gatherings.
Tanatorium, Spain by Juan Carlos Salas. 2015. The white concrete cavern opens in a diagonal direction to the sun, allowing warmth in winter and airflow in summer.
Tanatorium, Spain. The metallic louvres filter the sunlight to recreate the feeling of the passing of time, and to mark the cyclic movement of shadows.
As societies evolve, customs and traditions surrounding funerals and memorialisation also change. Mourning and burial spaces today are vastly different from the sprawling cemeteries of recent history that occupied large swathes of space first on the boundaries of a city, and then integrated within it as a network of green recreational areas.
Crematoria are now popular in many countries around the world as the value of land and attitudes towards burial have changed. However, while the architecture of death has changed, the need to create a dignified space of remembrance has not. Today, mourning spaces are often constructed in a minimalist or modernist style, with common materials including brick, concrete stone or marble.
Funeral architecture today rarely features overtly decorative elements, allowing the visitor a restrained space that can be interpreted and used differently by each individual. A closed or partially closed design creates privacy and space for mourners, and there is often an aspect of a ‘path’ through the building or complex, speaking to the journey we all must make from life to death.
To design a building that is highly emotional, at once spiritual and secular and also alludes to both death and life is a challenge, but the projects featured below and in the slideshow above illustrate that funeral architecture can cater to both the pragmatic and the abstract, while still retaining an atmosphere of respectful dignity.
