SEOUL DESIGN AWARD

About project : In Korea, it is easy to find various types of memorial facilities for the deceased. Charnel house or buildings that store cremated remains (and display the urns for viewing and allow visits), are usually located far from residential districts because of a “not in my backyard” attitude toward them.

Despite the fact that most Koreans regularly visit a charnel house that holds the ashes of their loved ones (at least several times per year), people do not know much about this facility and do not visit often. It is a foreign entity that people would not think of as a place to gather and have coffee.

The indoor spaces of most charnel houses are dark, made of glass, and not very welcoming. This project was born from the question: why does charnel house have to be this way? It was planned based on the idea that, while charnel houses the dead, it should also have spaces for the living.

This charnel house, located in Icheon, was constructed in conjunction with a hotel. There is a restaurant, convention hall, library, and café, with seven gardens in the center of the lot. The biggest advantage of the gardens is their consoling and emotionally rejuvenating power. If you sprinkle cremated remains into the “lazy river,” which is right in front of the charnel house, they flow into the garden. In this way, life and death coexist on a daily basis.

Before the hotel was constructed, residents of the area picketed in protest because they thought that having a charnel house would be detrimental to local development. Today, the charnel house is a famous attraction that is full of people on the weekends, which has greatly revitalized the local economy, making it a source of pride for locals. The facility has also brought about a broader change in how the charnel house is viewed. This charnel house is a place that people actually want to visit, a place to make lasting memories before death, and a place that offers solace and quiet space for introspection.