Site
The project began with year-long search for an appropriate site in Singapore with the client. Due to possible pollution issues that may arise from cremation activities, the potential site is restricted to industrial estates and some agricultural parcels. The pet crematorium finally landed on an empty land within an Agri-tainment development with 35 Farm-stay Villas. This site is among a row of farm plots adjacent to the main farm-stay area. It is a rectilinear plot with two existing open-sided sheds fronting the main access.
We wanted to create a place to grieve, to reconcile and to remember for pet owners that have lost their beloved companion.
“Stop all the Clocks…” W.H Auden (1938) funeral blues came to our mind. The idea of ‘Slowness’ was something that we wish to permeate in the ambience and the procession. A respectable time and space to say goodbye and for closure.
The Journey
From a distance, one makes out a single towering silhouette amidst a lush foliage. Standing solitary, yet astute against the hazy morning sky. Precise and defined against the verdant tropical landscape. Closer front, the mourning party encounters a deep indigo blue. An oculus reveals little but the casket and towering cremation hall in the background.
One ambles across the tree-lined garden towards the service hall at the opposing end, measured and absorbed. Within the hall, time stands still. The final farewell bid is casted as the casket passes the timber-slated wall, into the cremation chamber. One’s gaze traverses upwards from the capacious space, ending at the skylight above – a comforting, serene reminder that the Departed will await its owner to cross the Rainbow Bridge together.
Strategy
Taking advantage of the long site and existing buildings, a layered procession begins at the entrance hall. The bereaved sets foot along a tranquil linear garden that leads to the Service Hall. A formal symmetry along this route emphasizes the solemnness of the ceremony, preparing one for the final send-off.
The building form of the service hall designed to conceal the whole of the chimney, unlike most such facilities that are left exposed due to strict regulations on pollutant emissions. As part of the design & detailing phase, the team strives to keep the final built-form simple and elegant while ensuring the eventual test results will meet the authorities’ requirement. The use of corrugated roof panels unifies the design with the other two existing sheds that were transformed into the reception area and bone picking area, representing the first and last stops of the ritual.
