COLUMBARIUM AT THE MUNICIPAL CEMETERY
ARCHITECTURE: BDR Architects
2018 RADOM

The project by Warsaw-based studio BDR Architekci is a proposal for a memorial space that remains in contact with nature, evoking a mood of contemplation and reverie. The burial programme (2,000 niches) has been divided into smaller cemetery chambers creating intimate spaces, facilitating concentration and trouble-free retrieval of the ashes of a loved one.

Each chamber is formed by walls of commemoration, over which the shadows of the trees growing inside move as the day progresses. The cemetery chambers and the cold storage building form a compact layout with the cemetery square at its centre. This square has the potential to become a place for future funeral rites and an ecumenical gathering space for the entire cemetery.

A difficult challenge for the lighting design was to select the light sources, the location of the luminaires and the right lighting parameters in such a way that it would fit in with the architectural idea of purist, simple architecture and convey the emotions that accompany rituals and visits to the loved ones of the deceased in the cemetery.

A key element of the project is the specially designed small lighting fixtures fixed to the side edges of the niche shelves. This location makes the introduced light an intermediary between the deceased and the person visiting their resting place. The proposed solution also evokes the mood of All Souls' Day and candles placed on graves.