book-2

TWO BUILDING STUDIES 1515112345Entrance portalCondolence hallChapelWaiting areaCrematorium332131411 3 5m▲ 2.12Simplified ground floor plan.▲ 2.13Condolence hall columns.A study of the main floor plan indicates tripartite longitudinal subdivision– front and back porticoes and chapel spaces lie at each end of thecentrally located condolence hall. Structural walls that are generouslypenetrated with openings at ground floor level separate and screen thechapels from the hall. Within each longitudinal zone, structural wallssubdivide space transversely. In the middle zone, walls delineate the condolencehall from the side waiting rooms and the crematorium. In thefront and back zones, walls play similar roles by separating circulationand services spaces from the chapels. Structural walls therefore dominatethe plan, delineating the various functions. Only within the condolencehall have the architects introduced another structural language.Columns comprise the primary architectural elements of this large interiorvolume (Fig. 2.13). Their presence, together with an unusual lightingstrategy, results in a space with a special ambiance that is well suited toits function. The ‘random’ placement of columns recalls the spatial qualitiesof a native forest rather than an orderly plantation. Scattered largediametercolumns disrupt obvious linear circulation routes betweendestinations beyond the hall. One must meander. Tending to cluster inplan along diagonal bands, columns subdivide the main floor area intofour relatively large spaces, and many others that are smaller and ideal