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ALTHOUGH GRIEF SEEMS an unlikely
companion for architecture, in embracing
this complex emotion architects are building
spaces for mourning and memorialization
that carry an awareness of death and bereave-
ment. Ceremonies for the loss of a loved one
are highly sensitive and personal, yet the set-
tings in which they occur are borrowed envi-
ronments that often fail to offer comfort to
mourners. A church, for example, can isolate
those who don’t participate in organized reli-
gion, and a crematorium can feel more indus-
trial than inviting. Can architecture reshape
the way we bid farewell to the departed?
Amsterdam architecture studio
HofmanDujardin approached the subject
with a concept design. The Funeral Ceremony
Centre has no client and no plans for con-
struction. It’s a response to architect Michiel
Hofman’s personal experience. After organ-
izing a gathering to remember a close friend,
Hofman had no choice but to rent a space
that didn’t feel right for the occasion. ‘Most of
these environments don’t match our expecta-
tions,’ he says. ‘The architecture doesn’t help
you to understand what’s going on.’
His solution is a series of three spaces
with assembly rooms on either side of a place
for the coffin; curved walls characterize this
central area. The layout reflects the most
important aspects of a funeral: shared remem-
brance, contemplation and the rekindling of
friendships following the loss of a loved one.
In HofmanDujardin’s proposal, architecture
adds an extra dimension to the experience
and attempts to ease the mourners’ sorrow. In
moving through the building, they encounter
the stages of collectively saying goodbye.
The notion of imbuing such spaces
with a sense of direction also appears in
the technically demanding architecture
of a crematorium. Rotterdam-based Kaan
Architecten designed and realized Cremato-
rium Siesegem, a serene structure in Aalst, »
INSTITUTIONS
Can architecture
give grief a home?
104 SPACES