OFFICE 165

The crematorium building in Ostend considers the ambiguous nature of its content as a space combining technical performance and ceremonial practice. A rectangular single-storey volume sits within an elaborately designed landscape in the polders outside of the city. Its sloping roof, supported by a colonnade, allows for a low main entrance while accommodating machines and an air-cleaning system at the rear. The plan is organised in lateral strips of varying widths comprising waiting rooms, the central ceremonial halls, technical spaces and thin bands of auxiliary functions and passageways. A twist in the direction between the strips and the roof produces a covered arcade around the building, which includes the semicircular office area. A double facade of glass and perforated metal panels mediates the relationship between the internal spaces and the surrounding landscape, combining with the roof lighting to instil a tranquil atmosphere. The roof itself appears as a nature morte composition of abstract objects that both conceal technical elements, such as the chimney and gutters, and allude to the building’s inherent symbolism.