AWARD YEAR
2015
CATEGORY
Community
GOALS
Life On Land
KEYWORDS
Death/ Afterlife, family, nature
COUNTRY
Hong Kong SAR
DESIGNED BY
Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government
WEBSITE
http://2014.venicebiennale.hk/diamond-hill-columbarium-crematorium/
New Columbarium at Diamond Hill
An architectural design responds to hyper density (after) living.
The new Columbarium next to the Crematorium was designed with the garden concept which gives people a sense of serenity. Both physical psychological well-being for the people are the prime concerns. The Chinese tradition of “bai saan” (the act of going up the mountain to pay respect to the ancestors at festivals) has been accommodated in the design. To this end, the roof of this columbarium building is functioned as stairs, enables people to access to the niches of their ancestors on the different floors in a nature like environment. The design of the building takes care of the effectiveness of people flow during the festival days, it also allows effective natural ventilation through the niche bays. Further, the built-in air filtration facilities clean up the smoke from the incense furnaces before dispersing to the open air.