thrust. At the same time the coordinated massing and exterior appearance
of the Mortuary House to the Church of St. John the Baptist also secures a
balance between the traditional and modern.
One of the remarkable features of the design for the Mortuary House is the
marble surfaces that covers the building both horizontally and vertically. By
cladding reinforced concrete load-bearing elements and brick walls with 20
mm thick, Estremoz marble panels, which is used in this area of Portugal
from the ancient times, the designers provided a common architectural
language between the cemetery and the funeral house. Additionally, the
masonry techniques behind the arrangement of these large stone slabs
are an important aspect of the design. The designers provided a sense of
movement to the building mass by the application of small asymmetric shifts
horizontally and vertically of these large slabs to create an original statement
in minimal design. More so this massive and prominent use of marble
throughout the building also emphasizes monumentality in the funerary
context of the site. The detailed masonry work generates shadows in the
small niches and consoled panels that are further emphasized in the play of
sunlight and shadow on the surfaces.
The building with its high walls resembles a maze but the continuity of the
material in the interior spaces efficiently directs visitors in a clear circulation
path. The designers organized the space in each chamber via a wooden
TAŞ İŞÇİLİĞİNİN OLDUKÇA TİTİZ BİR ŞEKİLDE
ELE ALINDIĞI YAPININ İÇ MEKANINDA MERMER
VE AHŞAP BİR ARADA KULLANILIYOR.
MARBLE AND WOOD ARE USED HARMONIOUSLY IN
THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING THAT HAS DETAILED
STONE MASONRY.
MART - NİSAN 2014 / MARCH - APRIL 2014 • NATURA 55