Netter Architekten - Susanne Netter, Frankfurt/Main
A very special place of mourning has been created at the park cemetery in Hamburg-Ohlsdorf, which is the largest of its kind in the world, the so-called ‘Trauerhaltestelle’ (‘Place of Mourning’). It’s freely accessible and offers mourners and others a place of retreat that’s public yet discreet. The structure enables a new and contemporary form of remembering the deceased that meets individual mourning needs.
The Kuratorium der Deutschen Bestattungskultur e.V. (Registered Curatorship of German Funeral Culture) awarded the contract to supply and install the prefabricated reinforced-concrete elements for this unusual project to HERING Architectural Concrete | HAC.
The build was realised with a total of six beige reinforced-concrete façade panels and a ceiling section. The elements form two solid concrete brackets that – in spite of the public access – protect the interior from prying eyes. It features a blasted finish on the inside and an acidified finish on the outside.
The idea was conceived by architects Solveig Schacht and Mareile Hörnig. It was realised in Hamburg by the architectural office Susanne Netter, which is based in Frankfurt/Main. The project was technically and financially supported by the Kuratorium Deutsche Bestattungskultur e.V. and the Stiftung Deutsche Bestattungskultur (German Funeral Culture Charity).
(Photos: Fotodesign Andreas Braun)
