SACRED WHITE CUBE
Designed as a means of deep reflection and expression, cemetery architecture manifests itself through a minimalist style, proposing simplicity of forms and volume. Based on the reduction of elements and the elimination of the superfluous, the project highlights the essence of spirit by imposing the concentration of the visitor on the experience of the visit, completely estranging them from time. In this context, design plays a primary communicative role: attention to the proportion between light and shadow is an interpretative key to detect the essence of the built environment and reveal the goals of the designer. Being a private work, the intriguing element lies in the choice of communication and materialization of the relationship between the author and the dearest affections, seemingly distant. The duality of person and architecture becomes a visual narrative of the complexity of personal relationships, assigning to the built environment the role of guiding through the variety of human emotions, from the darkest and introspective to the brightest and reconciliatory. The architectural envelope develops on a square plan of 4x4m, the same measure as the height completing a perfect cube. The declared reference is the quarry block modeled through subtraction of the superfluous to shape a externally monochromatic "monument" characterized only by two large openings from which the sole environment takes light. The incisions on the partitions play a crucial role: the inclination of sunlight, intercepting the edges, gives rise to shadows of different depths and projections, creating ever-changing perspectives. The arrangement of the niches, together with the flooring, delineates a path that invites the visitor to explore the hidden corner where the second opening of the block is located. The exposure of the structure in relation to the path of the sun gives different intensities of light to the environment, shaping a context that is always different depending on the time of visit and the current season. The entrance and projection of light enhance the travertine finish covering the niches and radiate the dark color of the basalt-effect flooring, also proposed on a vertical surface.
The project challenges the Italian religious context, known for its wealth of elements and decorations, instead promoting a revolution that restores sacredness and centrality to volume and space. The choice to privilege the essential honors the intellectual value of architecture, stimulating visitors to strip away conventions and seek intimate contemplation free from daily frenzy. The encouragement is directed towards a timeless journey, towards the silence of spirituality and reflection.
