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A Place of the Spirit - A Crematorium & Funerary Complex for the Undoni Region

Part 2 Project 2003
Rakshni Moodley
University of KwaZulu-Natal Durban | South Africa
Titled "A Place Of The Spirit", the project is concerned with the design of a "Crematorium And Funerary Complex For The Umdoni Municipality, RSA".
'Death' being an issue intrinsically linked to the human condition, the facility seeks to express more than mere utility, encapsulating this humanity, this sense of the sacred. The project discourse investigates and seeks to integrate the pyschological, sociological and cultural needs of the users, the architectural language associated with death through history, various theories concerned with creating sacred space, functional issues and effective site utilisation, to create an integrative entity.



This project has successfully dealt with the delicate subject of death and cremation in a multi-cultural society. Its successful resolution primarily deals with the procession of the living through (and later movement back through) the architectural landscape. The termination of route and separation from the dead is emphasised in strong geometric forms, elements and textures.

The candidate has developed a strong theoretical basis for the conceptual proposal and has carefully detailed the movement and sensory experiences of the visitor through the facility. The candidate’s dedication to the search for a fitting architectural resolution is highly commendable.

2003
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