Bierton Crematorium, Aylesbury – Projects

The scheme is a sensitive response to a rural landscape environment and a series of programmatic requirements: clear and unimpeded movement of visitors from arrival to departure; uplifting yet dignified spaces for the mourning party; landscape and commemoration that provide a space for memory and evocation; a form and materiality that provides reassurance and solace. The relationship between the building and its context is reinforced by the undulating roofscapes, with their sedum coverings, and the use of natural materials in both the structure and cladding.

Developing concepts first employed in other crematoria, the chapel space at Aylesbury features a large glazed window to aid the grieving process of the mourners by offering views to a formal garden with reflection pool and to the bucolic landscape beyond. This relationship with the landscape is further consolidated by the sheltered waiting areas at the entrance, and in the cloistered route from the chapel to the floral tribute area.