PROJECT
The proposal is for a 500 niche columbarium that is located within a clearing in the Riga Forest Cemetery in the city of Riga, Latvia. The overall original cemetery design was to provide a park-like atmosphere. In response, the proposed columbarium design is shaped by the existing natural context and acknowledges the legacy of the cemetery. Embracing nature within a place of final rest and as a healing aid in the grieving process.
I’ve utilised the existing site as part of the proposal, transforming it into a sacred glade. Through blurring boundaries, an open site plane is formed that is inviting for its visitors and acknowledges the existing graves that surround the site. Sculpted pillars sprout throughout the site, forming a united space within the glade. The use of a singular raw material, concrete, has complemented the natural scenery. Light and shadow dance across these pillars, animating their façade. The result brings a sacred essence to the space, celebrating nature’s qualities in tandem with pure form and raw materiality, providing a warm character to a place of rest and remembrance.
To further connect with the Latvian site, the pillar’s form is abstracted from a daisy, Latvia’s national flower and symbol of patriotism for its people. Resulting in a balanced cruciform shape, the “daisy” is extruded to form a pillar, emerging from the meadow as a raw monolith, silent and solid; aiding as a marker for the deceased. These pillars appear directly rooted to their site, bound to the glade, resulting in a unified blooming landscape. The pillars are constructed out of concrete with a striated finish applied between each column of niches, bringing repetition and verticality to the site.
GRIEF & JOURNEY
The transitional site plane and spatial arrangement of the columbarium encourages a gradual progression to the site's core that is reflective of the stages of grief. Here one can take their time to wander amongst the pillars as they come to pay respects to their passed loved ones.
REMEMBRANCE PAVILION
The Pavilion follows the same daisy motif, however unlike the surrounding pillars, the remembrance pavilion is punctured with openings, built out of a series of frames capturing the surrounding context. It is designed for the living to observe and reflect at the glade’s core. Encouraging them to reach the stage of acceptance as they look out to the surrounding pillars.
