Much thought put into new crematorium for Stockholm
Stockholm is a city renowned for developing beautiful buildings, the city is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world with its historical architecture preserved and blended in with the modern, displaying the legacy and the current status of the city as the heart of what was once a kingdom and is now Sweden. It is no wonder then a new crematorium being built in the city will combine state-of-the-art design with seamless beauty.
The Forest Crematorium or Woodland Crematorium is being developed by the City Cemeteries Administration on behalf of the City of Stockholm and will be located directly behind the existing Skogskyrkogården (Woodland Cemetery) and its crematorium. These two facilities will combine the historical and modern in a way that has become commonplace in the Swedish capital.
The contract for the new crematorium was awarded to Johan Celsing Arkitektkontor in co-operation with Müller Illien Landschaftsarchitekten after they won first prize in a design competition run by the City Cemeteries Administration. The design brief called for a new crematorium that would “fit with the Woodland Cemetery composition in such a way that the World Heritage status is unaffected. In addition to its necessary technical functions, the new building must also have the qualities of symbolic and sacred expression to receive mourners”, according to Stockholm news media.
Johan Celsing Arkitektkontor and Müller Illien Landschaftsarchitekten won the jury over with their ‘A Stone in the Forest’ concept, which envisions a structure made to resemble a large stone in the woods adjacent to the existing cemetery and crematorium. With its face-brick facade and asymmetrical sloping roofs the buildings is intended to blend with the woodland setting and will be set on the far side of the competition site in order to maximize the distance between the existing cemetery where memorial services will be held and the crematorium, thereby providing mourners with a space of time in which to prepare themselves for the process.
“Landscape and woodlands are vital components of the Woodland Cemetery experience. This being so, the crematory is sited at the far end of the competition site, thus giving visitors time to pass through the wood on their way to the building, This winding progress through the wood becomes a valuable part of preparation for visiting the crematory,” reads part of the design proposal.
Another potential design that was well-received by judges was that of ‘The Clearing’ put forward by BIG.
Designed by the architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), a company run almost entirely by Bjarke Ingels, an award winning Danish architect, the new crematorium will be set amid the forest planted for the Skogskyrkogården and will feature a central building built into a small hill with three paths leading to it and channeling through the hill to create four sloping roofs around a central clearing. Two of the paths will intersect one another as pedestrian paths creating a near-perfect ‘x’, while the third path will be for vehicles and will lead to a separate entrance than the central clearing serviced by the pedestrian footpaths.
The design was praised for its seamless integration with the woodland experience, but ultimately failed to win due to the central clearing and entrance to the crematorium, which features floor-to-ceiling mirrored glass walls. It was felt that such extensive use of mirrors would conflict with the peaceful, private nature of the grieving process.
“The inner glass-walled intersection, however, has a repellent ambience and conflicts with the crematory function,” read part of the jury’s evaluation.
The crematorium is being built to replace the existing facility in the Woodlands Cemetery or Skogskyrkogården, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built between 1917 and 1920 by the architects Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz, the forest of pine trees was planted in order to cover over land that was once a gravel quarry. The cemetery is a famous deign masterpiece for its use of architecture that influences the emotions and its tranquility and beauty have had a profound impact on cemetery design the world over.
The cemetery’s crematorium was designed by Gunnar Asplund two decades later and is an astounding example of architecture with its Faith, Hope, and Holy Cross Chapels. The crematorium is commonly referred to as Asplund’s Crematorium in Stockholm due to the enduring legacy of his design. He died before the crematorium was completed and was buried in the cemetery he designed.
Due to the need for more sustainable cremation practices, Asplund’s Crematorium is no longer suitable for operation as the new technology needed and modifications required would cause “unacceptable changes to [Asplund’s] original concept and design” according to notes released by the City Cemeteries Administration to Stockholm news media.
The Faith, Hope, and Holy Cross Chapels will continue to be used for ceremonial services, however, before mourners proceed through the forest to the new crematorium. In this way, the woodlands planted by Asplund and Lewerentz are intended to provide the calming and perhaps healing atmosphere needed in the final moments of saying goodbye to a loved one.
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Much thought put into new crematorium for Stockholm
A new crematorium being built on a famous UNESCO World Heritage Site had an imposing reputation to live up to, for it is being built in a woodland cemetery planted and designed by two of Sweden’s greatest architects.
Stockholm is a city renowned for developing beautiful buildings, the city is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world with its historical architecture preserved and blended in with the modern, displaying the legacy and the current status of the city as the heart of what was once a kingdom and is now Sweden. It is no wonder then a new crematorium being built in the city will combine state-of-the-art design with seamless beauty. Read more
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