Overlapping cylinders make up this crematorium in northern France, developed by a collective of Parisian architects with walls of ribbed concrete and golden-framed glass (+ slideshow).
Paris-primarily based collective Plan 01 used repeating circular motifs to create the non-denominational funeral space in the city of Amiens – in a equivalent style to another crematorium finished by the group in Rennes.
Crematorium Amiens sits in a valley surrounded by two hectares of gardens. This assists to hide the chimney of the two cremation furnaces at the rear.
Associated story: Johan Celsing’s red-brick crematorium follows the terrain of Asplund’s Woodland Cemetery
The rounded walls and soft landscaping are meant as a distinct departure from the “world of correct angles” encountered in everyday spaces.
“Handful of tasks involve so considerably emotion and express this kind of human and cultural richness,” mentioned the architects.
“The success of this technique lies in its capacity to generate the atmosphere of a dignified and serene knowledge during one of the most dreaded moments of our existence – the loss of a loved a single – and, what is far more, for the duration of 1 of the most tangible and excessive moments, when the physique of the deceased particular person is cremated.”
Total-height windows sit within golden frames in the sandy-toned concrete walls. They face out towards the gardens, the place two pathways technique the building from opposite instructions.
This layout provides separate routes for guests of various funerals, even though a third entry route leading to the cremation area is concealed at the back of the plot. A pair of vehicle parks also adjoin the website, but are hidden from view by screens of planting.
“These are thresholds from which you depart the space of daily lifestyle to enter into the ceremony space,” mentioned the group. “This access is handled with the dignity necessary to respect the deceased man or woman, while preserving the intimacy of handling the body.”
Within, the prepare is made up from a series of interlinked circles, generating “fluid” spaces that can be partitioned with material drapes.
A circular skylight casts a spot of light onto the floor of the central lobby, which lead off to small and huge services spaces.
The textured walls are complemented by glossy floors and perforated white ceilings in the waiting areas, while ceremonial spaces are distinguished by a transition to brown carpet.
“Faced with the emotional intensity of a cremation ceremony, we offer an architectural creation which proposes a space that can be interpreted and adopted differently by each particular person,” said the architects.
Photography is by Takuji Shimmura and Laure Vasconi.
Task credits:
Architects: Program 01 – Phileas, Atelier du Pont, Ignacio Prego Architectures, Jean Bocabeille Architecte, Koz
Undertaking manager : Clément Keufer
Client: Amiens Metropole
Common contractor: Léon Grosse
Technical design: Grontmij Sechaud Bossuyt
Gear: Gem Matthews
Landscape: Sempervirens
Site plan – click for bigger image 
Reduce floor strategy – click for bigger image 
Upper floor program – click for bigger picture 
Section – click for bigger picture 
