Samenvatting

Like in mountaineering, where highs and lows in the face of challenges find release in the experience of the surrounding nature, the final farewell from the deceased knows different stages and emotions which can be sustained and resolved by supportive company and circumstances. Before the subject of mourning was found, this project had already started with an encounter with nature, in this case the Staalbergvennen near Oisterwijk. Once a recreational zone, now closed to the public, this domain awaits a new destination as a nature reserve. In this natural context a new approach of architecture was looked for, embedded in nature, experiential and purifying. How could remains of the recreational center and the polluting pool be transformed into this new vein? The theme of nature joined that of grief and relief and found wider scope in the program of a burial and mourning center. This design reflects the seven steps of mourning, established by research, in a series of accommodations and environments, from small scale to big. Featured are cocoons for wakes, camps for stays, places for remembrance, a journey over water, a humification site, all around the central functions of a funeral hall, a bathhouse and a restaurant, together called the lotus. The architecture allows different programs and settings by flexible zones, indoors and outdoors. The constructions are in natural materials. The project is innovative regarding funereal practice and concepts of mourning, as well as the unreserved integration of an extensive program for visit and stay in natural surroundings on principles of moderation and embeddedness.