Columbarium ^

Competition entry for a Columbarium in the forest cemetery in Riga, Latvia. The crystalline pavilion is located at the end of the North- South axis of the cemetery, becoming the resting point of the processional path originating from the Crematorium. With its openness to the sky and vertical elements, 22 glass columns composed as a temple compose the façade of the columbarium. The columns remember the major sacred spaces of the world — Gedächtniskirche Speyer, St. Peter’s Basilica, Hagia Sophia, Mecca, Bodh Gaya, out of recycled glass, a building material that is 100% recyclable. Four stone elements lay at the center of the columbarium, providing a visually-sheltered space for the visitors. The central elements contain 504 burial urns deposited in identical niches joined by thin plates holding candles and flowers with a hovering shades acting as a new horizon within the structure. The structure is free of mortar and compresses the glass bricks through tension cables inside the columns.