rectory and funeral room – 1st place

The design approach is based on an ensemble of 2 buildings. In between, the centerpiece is a village square with tree, fountain and bench, the dimensions of which appear appropriate to the location.  Via a new meeting zone along the elementary school to the bank forecourt, the buildings enter a spatial dialogue with the public buildings and thus formulate the new center of Mathon. At village festivals, the square expands over the street and becomes a connecting element, becoming a social joint. The two new buildings relate to each other in their form and setting. The chosen geometries are positioned at the edge of the square and, through their positioning, create a sequence of inviting outdoor spaces of an appropriate scale; the inputs deliberately have two different addresses. With its simple shape, the funeral room creates a sense of security – provides support. The 2-storey building of the Widum with the parish office on the ground floor takes the scale of the ensemble into account with the surroundings and limits the space to the east. The location of the meeting room on the upper floor creates intimacy in the middle of the place and at the same time provides an overview of the space. In the evening, the window of the meeting room shines as a ‘lantern’ over the square, as a symbol of life in the village. The funeral room offers protection, peace, comfort – and a simple space for the intangible. Four and a half meters wide, nine meters long, with a simple gable roof that strives upwards.  The change from a busy place to a quiet place of reflection is reflected in the change in materiality between outside and inside and is a symbol of the transition to a different, spiritualized state.  A footpath to the church begins in the gap between the buildings. This gap is deliberately placed and symbolizes everyone who is missing from the village community – everyone leaves a gap and starts a new path.