Crematorium "Uitzicht", Kortrijk
On the Hights of Kortrijk one's view glides over the landscape towards the valley. The geometry of this scenery finds a start in the cemetery designed by the Italian architect Bernardo Secchi. The Crematorium is part of this landscape. It fits in the geometry of the landscape and lies half a level below the adjacent street level.
The public enters the building by a soft slope leading to the open patio. The architectural walk leads one from the foyer with a framed view on the landscape to the auditorium. On the ceremonial spot falls natural light through the horizontal glazing in the elevated ceiling. A narrow gallery with wide views over the landscape accompanies the visitors on their way out of the building and connects the ceremonial building with the cemetery.
Characteristic for the building is its subdued atmosphere and its natural transition between interior and exterior, between intimacy and open space, between the wooden mold of the naked concrete outside and the sober and warm materials inside.
On the other side of the retaining wall, 200 meters away of the entrance, is the departure of a second circuit with the technical part of the crematorium. The public and the technical circuits touch near the administrative area. In the middle of the building two patios provide a hushed contact with the exterior.
The smooth stone cladding follows the outlines of the building and the relief of the landscape. They emphasize the horizontal character of the site.The mass and the verticality of the bush hammered chimney contrasts with the integration of the crematorium in the landscape.
Client: Psilon, crematoriumbeheer Zuid-West-Vlaanderen
Concept: Souto de Moura Arquitectos Lda - SumProject
In collaboration with: AfaConsult (structure), Ingenium sa/EPB-SCT (HVAC), Daidalos Peutz (building physics), Dirk Vandekerkhove (landscape), Antea (ovens and filters)
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