Sacred Architecture
Good architecture must be experiential, the architecture should have an impact on the individual as they move throughout the space. How can architecture provide comfort during the time of grief such as that of a lost loved one?
Life is a story of an individual moving throughout their time. Those memories generated are all we will eventually have left of them. This project proposal embraces that fact, creating a linear space that generates/reestablishes memories creating a new life of the deceased within us as we leave their physical presence in the past.
During this semester I lost 3 close relatives. Without the experience of the losses I cannot say I would have had the same connection to the proposal.
For Grandpa Fred, Grandma Iris, and Uncle Ron
Project Team:
Dakota Mohlman, Leia Farrens
Spring 2020 | Professor: Mark Bacon
Awards & Recognitions
2020 |
SGH Concepts/Dri-Design Student Competition | 1st Prize of Excellence
A single opening in the rammed earth brings a beam of light into the space focusing on the deceased. This last ray of light will become the last memory of the loved one. After this point, they are to rest in the dark for eternity relying on us to carry their light into the future.
The building begins to disappear and nature reappears as we move into the crypt gardens and columbarium. This space is open to the elements because the exposure reminds us that we are living beings. As we pass through the crypts we are reminded of those past. The architecture begins to decay and returns to the same ground in which it started.
The private chapel is isolated and quiet, yet open to the elements. A space of privacy does not seek to rely on darkness and un-interruption. Rather in grief it relies on a space that can provide a threshold that creates separation. Most who will enter the private chapel will be needing a moment to connect with their sacred.
Inside the private chapel one may notice the material of choice. Modeled after the inspiration of burnt trees around the river valley due to a fire a couple years ago, the private chapel represents life born from a new ash. The view from inside the private chapel is filtered by these wood stilts leaving it exposed to the same natural surroundings that brought the revival of the memoir.
The loss of a loved one shouldn’t be focused on the death but instead celebrate the life experienced and the Reflection space provides that opportunity. Laughs are shared with friends and family and the same eastern view features the scenic landscape providing an atmosphere of serenity and peace. Finally we can enjoy our own lives while remembering another.