Crematorium Heidefriedhof Cemetery

Project idea

The task of designing the crematorium at Heidefriedhof cemetery in Dresden focuses on integrating the building with the forest cemetery while considering interior qualities. The design course explores contemporary farewell rituals and architectural responses, addressing the growing importance of cremation and the shift away from traditional religious farewells. The challenge is to create architecture that accommodates various mourning ceremonies and meets new burial and design needs.

The designed crematorium is embedded in a wooded environment characterized by strict axes and serving as a resting place for the victims of the Second World War. The central/memorial axis of the cemetery and the existing pond form the backbone of the new crematorium. The building complex is arranged along the central axis and opposite the Pond of Remembrance, allowing the crematorium to fit seamlessly into the cemetery structure.

Visitors access the site from the parking lot via the main road leading to the central square of the Grove of Honor. Here, the memorial axis extends north, while a curved stone wall to the south marks a threshold and frames a view of the Path of Remembrance. This path, lined by a strict wall, directs visitors' gaze toward the large funeral hall and then to an organic landscape on the left. The burial hall, slightly inclined, provides a glimpse of the crematorium from the access axis. Midway along the path, a landscaped area unfolds, featuring a pond surrounded by flowering meadows, shrubs, and plants. This garden and pond form a contemplative clearing in the dense pine forest, symbolizing the life cycle with seasonal blooms and fading, mirroring eternity.

The garden creates a space for reflection and calm. The continuous wall occasionally forms waiting area pockets, with the layout offering unique landscape views. At the large funeral hall's entrance, visitors have a broad view of the landscape and the pond, centering on the pond island as a place of remembrance. After ceremonies, doors open to lead visitors back into the landscape, following the coffin or urn along a gently curving path around the pond, back into the forest for the final farewell.

Project description

Internally, the crematorium's organization aligns with the wall's design, creating spaces for various forms of farewell. Relatives can attend the cremation, view the deceased in the laying-out room, or gather in the mourning hall. Outdoor waiting areas are available in good weather, with sheltered waiting rooms for bad weather. The waiting rooms are linked to the inner courtyards, which are located between the publicly accessible rooms and offer a view of the planted inner courtyards. The design of the wall separates the public and private areas not only symbolically, but also practically. The coffins are delivered and transported to the crematorium via a service yard, which also offers parking facilities for employees. The coffins are transported to the basement of the building via an access core and stored in the cold store, which also houses other rooms such as the ash processing area, the urn storage area and the technical facilities. Cremations occur on the first floor, with coffin transport to key rooms like the laying-out room and mourning hall via a corridor, only in the large funeral hall is the coffin moved underground directly into the room via a lift.

Technical information

The crematorium's wall, made of Nagelfluh stone, contributes to its aesthetic and emphasizes longevity. The wall's texture provides a sensory experience, while the cantilevered flat roof, attached by a glass joint, appears to float, merging interior and exterior. Only the large burial hall is fully glazed, offering views of nature. Inside, wood is used for doors and furniture to contrast the massive stone, emphasizing lightness.

The crematorium‘s walls are constructed from solid natural stone. The flat roofs, featuring extensive greenery, have a wooden structure supported by steel beams. The building rests on a slab foundation.

Documentation

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