Pale sandstone walls bring a "warm and welcoming" feel to this columbarium in a cemetery in Radom, Poland, which has been completed by local studio BDR Architekci.
Located in the centre of Radom Municipal Cemetery ? one of the largest cemeteries in Poland ? the columbarium has 2,000 storage niches for funeral urns, organised across six chambers that surround a central open-air chapel.
The chambers are enclosed by sandstone-clad walls of varying heights and designed by BDR Architekci to provide space for "peaceful reflection" without religious references.
The columbarium comprises six chambers organised around an open-air chapel
"We tried not to refer to symbolism or look for metaphors," BDR Architekci co-founder Konrad Basan told Dezeen. "We focused on the function, the material, the proportions. We wanted to build a place open to people, full of greenery, with its own structure and order," Basan added.
The site is accessible from all directions in the cemetery, with paved routes weaving between each of the chambers and around curved areas of planting.
The chambers provide 2,000 niches for the storage of funeral urns
In each of the open-topped chambers, four walls filled with niches surround a central space with trees and a bench. There is also an opening leading to the central chapel.
"Creating such a large columbarium required space organised in a clear and welcoming way," said Basan. "That's why we divided such a lar...