CHAMBER OF MEMORIES

Columbarium Focused on Modular Construction

Site: Riga, Latvia

Design Competition Host: BeeBreeders

Team: Harry Jia, Peter Song, Lyric Barnik

July 2021

Group Work

Caur Gaismu speculates on the notion of death in the light of Latvian pagan values; death is not a departure, but a return to nature. A connection to nature is paramount to offering solace in such a way. Gaismu’s design is centralized around site preservation and existing weather conditions. Dappled sunlight travel through the perforated walls into a strip of commemorative landscape which extends from the central courtyard, where niches are sculpted outwards to create a circular space of gathering around the tree that represents light and life itself. This Latvian Kaive Oak, similar to the urns, their associated visitors, and the columbarium, will be subjected to the passage of time. It is through understanding time, noticing the changing scenery that time brings, that grieving visitors may find comfort in realizing that their loved ones continue to live on within nature.

Final Render [5]

Participation Scale [1 to 5]

Due to the collaborative nature of work, a Participation Scale is used to indicate my personal involvement in each shown piece, 5 being the highest level of involvement.

Final Render [5]

Preservation

Inspired by Bunker 599, Gaismu’s design coexists with the site. At the center of the journey is a courtyard, a symmetrical node inspired by the Garden Arts principle design that the forest cemetery was founded upon. All paths lead to and from this central area, a place of communal grieving and spirituality that is epitomized by an axis of vegetation and an oak tree at its core.

Permeability

The natural phenomena of the site permeate into the columbarium: light, vegetation, and rainfall to create a respectful connection between life, death, nature and time. All three elements are reflected through the transparency of each individual niches and are physically present along the entire passage.

Modularity

Modular niches are prefabricated and assembled in flexible arrangements. The niches are cast with concrete and are enclosed with wood framed glass caps. The niches themselves form the barrier between the inside and outside, symbolic of Latvian ancient pagan beliefs of death as a reunion with nature.

Accessibility

Through taking advantage of the site’s flat topography, the columbarium is designed to be entirely barrier-free. All niches of the bottom three rows are accessible by wheelchair.

Capacity

The columbarium accommodates a total of 860 single-urn niches, 430 on each side and 86 in each row. Having five rows of niches provide an extended capacity that allows the space for expansion, as urns without regular visitation can be moved into the higher rows upon agreement with their owners as they can be more difficult to access.

A

Construction

Major design decisions were made on the premise of efficient and low-carbon construction.

Fixings

Connection plate

Claddings

Niche

Roof Cover

Security

Security of the columbarium is maintained through surveillance cameras strategically fixed into the light-frame timber roof structure. These are out of sight for the visitors.

Maintenance

Bolts’ cover Niche fixings

Slab on grade makes excavation work minimal

Niches are pre-casted off site and employ modularized connections for fast and easy assembly

Composed of standard dimension lumber, the light frame timber roof is economic, light, and efficient to construct

We acknowledge this site as a place of respect, and thus, prioritized construction methods that will create minimal disturbance to its surroundings.

Roof-scape

Durability

As the niche covers are designed to be low maintenance, intervention by columbarium staff is only required when urns need to be moved. The types of plantings on site are selfsustaining with minimal human care.

The modularized concrete niches are resilient, with an expected lifespan of 50+ years. All timber members are finished with saturating wood oil for protection against moisture and UV.

Utility box

Structural support

Illustrated Section [5]

TIMBER FRAME ROOF

The roof becomes a light and transparent structural apparatus, enabling natural cross ventilation.

ROOF CAP KAIVE OAK COUNTERWEIGHT SLAB

1. Express things unsaid 2. Commemorate loved ones 3. Exit to memorial landscape