Remembering.Honouring
MMU graduation show, summer 2010
The subject of death has become a taboo subject in modern industrialized western societies, removing it from common experience and making it difficult for people to come to terms with and articulate feelings around it.
The primary aim of this building is to offer a common location (within the heart of a popular residential district in Sheffield - Ecclesal) that allows death to be valued as one event in the circle of life, interconnecting it with other rites and celebrations .The building provides non-denominational funerary services and other rites such as birth and marriage, meeting the needs and expectations of secular and ecumenical communities, through high quality, innovative and inspirational design.
It makes crematory rites accessible to all, by embracing ritual and fully addressing the sublime and contemplative aspects of death, irrespective of personal philosophy. Both building and location allow accessibility and encourage a sense of engagement with the community.
The building offers respite from the mundane stresses of life within a contemplative environment. Its urban location, in close proximity to the city centre, is key to access. The open landscape with green expanses to the south and sounds of the river have been developed to create a tranquil setting and sense of connection with nature.
The design encapsulates the idea of procession and ritual as a metaphor of progression through life. It comprises a sequence of spaces and events that facilitate celebration of the memories of deceased persons, as well as mark new life, naming ceremonies, partnerships and weddings, and memorials.
Through repeated use it is intended that the building become a familiar place that the surrounding community develop a relationship with. It will become synonymous with reflection, joy and sorrow as different facets of a greater whole.
