Casa Mortuária São Martinho do Campo

"The design challenge for the new Mortuary House of São Martinho do Campo arose from a special request by the parish council. The need to provide the inhabitants of the parish with a dignified space for the final “farewell” to their loved ones served as the starting point for the project. Thus, on the same site where a previous mortuary once stood, a new space is being designed. The new design respects the delicacy and significance of this purpose. Symbolism permeates the design: the scale elevates us toward the divine, and light guides us to the loved one we are saying goodbye to for the last time. In the background, a cross seems to “rise,” levitating above an exterior reflecting pool. It shelters and transports us to another, transcendent world. Throughout the day, the light casts the shadow/projection of the cross across the exterior space. At the end of the day, in contrast, the rays of the sun meet the cross levitating above the water. On the approach to the building, we encounter the first representation of a large cross, preparing us for the moment to come. Symmetry forms the basis of the design, while lightness accompanies it in every detail. More than just a mortuary, this is a new space for encounter with the divine. "
Text provided by the architecture firm.