Situated at the Hörnli cemetery on the outskirts of Basel, Switzerland, Architekturbüro Garrigues Maurer’s 2017 crematory emerges as an architectural meditation on loss, transition, and the interplay between nature and built form.
The cemetery, an expansive site marked by its 1930s rationalist geometries, stands as a carefully cultivated garden of mourning—an ambiguous borderland that serves as a reflection on collective existence in life and death. The new crematory, conceived as an unobtrusive intervention, honors this legacy by blending solemnity with universality, offering a space that resonates across cultures and beliefs.
Anchored by its sensitivity to the site's historical and spatial grammar, the crematory aligns with the existing mortuary along the cemetery’s primary axis. A newly created entrance courtyard mediates the transition from the old to the new, signaling a progression that is both physical and emotional. As mourners move inward, a sequence of spaces unfolds—culminating in the cremation room. The building rises incrementally, its subtle shifts in volume guiding visitors on a symbolic ascent that finds its resolution in a singular, skyward-facing window. This architectural choreography, balancing enclosure and openness, mirrors the journey of parting while connecting the earthly and the transcendent.
At its core, the crematory embodies a tension between the industrial and the intimate. A concrete structure, austere and pragmatic, supports a skin of hand-laid brick that is both porous and tactile. The material dialogue reflects the duality of the space—accommodating the technical necessities of incineration while simultaneously addressing the emotional gravitas of mourning. This simultaneity—the coexistence of the functional and the sacred—lends the building its poetic resonance. The porous brick façade filters light and air, creating a permeable boundary that invites contemplation while preserving privacy.
In this understated yet profound work, Garrigues Maurer have crafted a space of reflection that integrates seamlessly with the Hörnli cemetery’s existing fabric. By prioritizing spatial clarity, material honesty, and emotional nuance, the crematory transcends its utilitarian purpose, becoming a site of communal and individual solace.
