Memorial Park And Columbarium

Land consumption in Korea has led to serious issues for the country and contributing to this are current funerary and burial practices. In the year 2000 cremations in Korea increased to 50% of total deaths. While the need for columbaria is increasing, associations with this building type carry a heavy stigma within the community. The reluctance to accept columbaria requires an architectural response that will contribute to the transition between past and future burial cultures.

To increase acceptance of a new columbaria typology, a strategy that enhances the visitor’s experiences of place through tectonic development and connections to nature was developed.

The design of the columbarium, a repository for 50,000 remains, placed within walled courtyards, is characterized by dignity, repose and connection to nature. The buildings are long and thin creating short aisles perpendicular to the primary circulation offering visitors both variety and continuous directional paths. The configuration ensures direct views to the valley and privacy from the primary circulation. The design accommodates as many as 30,000 daily visitors and provides for diverse observations of mourning and remembrance.

Exhibited at the Venice Biennale, 2002.