Crematorium Oostende

The site of the new crematorium is located within a masterplan of the Belgian city of Oostende, that connects the coastline with the green belt surrounding the city. In the direct surroundings of the site a new forest will be planted. The new crematorium is envisioned as a house in a garden located within the forest.

The site is the former location of a brick factory. The existing topography of the factory defines a square-shaped open area with small hills, clay and remaining raw materials surrounding it. This topography provides intimacy for the crematorium and separates it from the main access road. The garden of the crematorium, with the urn field and columbarium in it, takes the “terrain vague” of the former factory as starting point. The crematorium is located exactly on the border between the forest and the garden and is therefore an important link in the landscape. Visitors enter from the dense green forest through the colonnade of the crematorium into the open garden.

The crematorium is conceived as a series of rooms with their own materialization, proportions and use of natural light. Each phase of the farewell ceremony is dedicated to a different room and will therefore get their own spatial experience and remembrance.