ETERNAL HILL

THE COLUMBARIUM WITH THE GOAL TO DESIGN A FUNERAL SPACE THAT ALSO PROVIDES VALUE AS A PUBLIC SERVICE AND THE PESSIMISTIC PERCEPTION OF TRADITIONAL OUTDOOR CEMETERIES

TEXT: GOLDEN PIN DESIGN AWARD
PHOTO COURTESY OF YEN PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS EXCEPT AS NOTED

(For Thai, press here)

Death is a process that every person will inevitably go through. As the ones left behind in this world, we visit cemeteries and columbariums, pay respects, and mourn our deceased loved ones at the Qingming Festival each year. Through this process, we also reevaluate the meaning of life. Therefore, the memorial space becomes a medium that connects the living and the dead, and how we design the interaction within this domain will shape the worldview of the living.

In Taiwan, due to limited land and changing cultural perspectives, modern funeral spaces have shifted from traditional outdoor cemeteries to columbariums. While columbariums offer more convenient memorial spaces for friends and relatives, these types of public buildings are often associated with gloominess and ominousness, becoming facilities that people tend to avoid. Therefore, when the Hsinchu City government thought of constructing a new columbarium, the considerations go beyond addressing the issue of insufficient space. The goal is to design a funeral space that also provides value as a public service and eliminates the fear or reluctance of the public, making it an important aspect to be addressed in the design process.

Therefore, architects Lin Yen-Ying from Yen Partnership Architects, Lin You-Han from Behet Bondzio Lin Architekten, Germany, collaborated to create the columbarium space called “Eternal Hill”, located within Da Ping Ding Life Memorial Park, HsinChu City. The architecture is simple yet functional, with a sense of solemnity and beauty. Situated in a lush, tree-filled public park, it redefines the concept of a life memorial park, which is approachable and accessible for the general public. The design has garnered recognition, including the Golden Pin Design Award in Taiwan and the Red Dot Design Award in Germany.

Eternal Hill is a five-story building above ground. The second floor consists of service areas, memorial spaces, and the area for ancestral tablets. The remaining floors are dedicated to columbarium niches. The design of the entire building avoids the use of major beams and columns, creating a transparent and unobstructed space that differs from the enclosed and dim atmosphere typically associated with columbariums. From the third to the fifth floor, fair-faced concrete is used as the main construction material and facade structure, showcasing a natural and rustic texture with subtle air bubbles and remnants of particles.

The building allows light to penetrate from the top to the central courtyard, reducing the need for artificial lighting and maintaining a bright interior vibe, dispelling the traditional image of dimness associated with columbariums. In addition, the design brings in the natural breeze of Hsinchu City through outward sloping walls and sea-view windows on each floor.

Lin Yen-Ying believes that “although air is the most abstract and intangible element, ‘wind’ is the strongest sensation associated with Hsinchu City. Therefore, an open architectural form is adopted to achieve a permeable design without windows or obstructions, allowing nature to be brought into the building.” This approach eliminates the need for air conditioning, resulting in energy-saving and carbon-reducing functionality.

In terms of its appearance, Eternal Hill features a converging and stacked floor arrangement, with outward sloping walls that create space for semi-outdoor corridors. The overall architecture presents a solemn and dignified posture reminiscent of a blooming lotus flower. Architect Lin You-Han describes it as follows, “The sloping walls are like hillsides, allowing light to cascade along the walls, giving people a sense of security as if being sheltered.”

Furthermore, situated atop a panoramic mountain view, Eternal Hill allows for a distant view of Hsinchu’s coastline. The building is also located within a life memorial park abundant with native Taiwanese trees. Stepping into the park feels like entering a forest, where one can find solace and engage in a dialogue with oneself in the embrace of nature.

As a memorial space, the architectural design of Eternal Hill didn’t use any specific religious elements, allowing people of various races and beliefs to have the opportunity to access or come into the space. Moreover, it goes beyond the traditional perception of what columbarium spaces should be like. In addition to rituals and remembrance, it hosted light exhibitions, showcasing the interaction of the natural light from the skylight and artificial lighting on the ground, expressing a longing for the deceased, along with the dance performances. This event added vitality to the solemn funeral space and demonstrated its value as an accessible public space to the general public.

Architect Lin You-Han emphasizes “people should think of death in a positive way, so that we, as the living human, can move forward.” He hopes that people who visit ‘Eternal Hill’ will feel not fear, but rather hope and a sense of being sheltered, thereby gaining confidence to face their future.

As a space dedicated to commemorating the deceased, Eternal Hill’s architectural design enhances its public accessibility and aesthetic appeal. Whether it’s mourners seeking a place of quiet reflection or individuals yearning to remember their loved ones, this space invites them to come and contemplate the meaning of life within its modest, serene, yet bright and open environment.

yenarch.com

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Golden Pin Design Award

The Golden Pin Design Award is the oldest and most renowned professional design award in Taiwan and the Great Chinese market. We encourage innovative and creative design and hold an annual award competition.

For more information, please visit www.goldenpin.org.tw/en