Crematorium Heimolen
The Heimolen Crematorium, located on the outskirts of Sint-Niklaas, was designed as two buildings: a ceremonial one with assembly halls and supporting facilities near the entrance to the complex; and a technical one with cremation chambers at the cemetery's northern edge. Each building has a distinctive look and character deriving from its function. Though they are the same size, their different programmes make for polar opposite design concepts: one is dominated by a large roof that encloses a series of public amenities, while the other is a volume on a clean platform.
The covered forecourt provides space for gathering outdoors. Once inside, the cemetery and surrounding nature are framed by large windows that pull the landscape into a serene reception room. With its undulating walls, stone, wood and soft floodlight from the perforated domes of the roof, the main auditorium is a space dedicated to contemplation. The meticulous integration of spatial gestures and a subtle variety of materials result in a space with presence, a space that is carefully balanced.
The technical aspect is housed in a volume on a clean platform, its façade composed of cream-coloured, prefabricated concrete elements imprinted with a subtle pattern. On the inside, the openings on the façade cast light onto the three freestanding cremation chambers where the bereaved can have their final farewell.
The oven building
Info
- Location
- Sint-Niklaas, BE
- Date
- 2005–2008
- Size
- 3,190 sqm
- Client
- IGS Westlede
- Team
- David Hess, Dikkie Scipio, Hagar Zur, Hannes Ochmann, Kees Kaan, Luuk Stoltenborg, Vincent Panhuysen, Yaron Tam
- Photography
- Christian Richters, Kim Zwarts, Sebastian van Damme, Stijn Bollaert
- General contractor
- Roegiers
- Construction advisor
- Pieters Bouwtechniek
- Building physics engineer
- Bureau Bouwtechniek Antwerp
- MEP engineer
- Bureau Bouwtechniek Antwerp
- Acoustics advisor
- Prinssen en Bus Raadgevende Ingenieurs
