A new crematorium is being erected on the site of the old city cemetery. In contrast to the majestic landscape, with views towards the Bernese Oberland, our building is oriented inwards. The building concept calls for contradictory spatial requirements. Highly developed technologies collide with the deeplyly emotional needs of those in mourning. The design is based on simple public-spaces that emphasize the senses, in order to connect with the operational and functional rooms without making the technology visible. The entrance for mourners is located on the side facing the cemetery. From here, the new building appears as a modest, almost completely closed volume. Only the entrance lends the wall a sense of scale. Almost exactly in the center, the building expands into an open courtyard, which allows for intimacy.
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