As people adopt more control over the rituals behind their deaths, cremation has become an increasingly popular option across the world. This, in turn, has led to the considered design of spaces that respond to the deep emotions surrounding cremation, life and death, and stillness. Increasingly, architects are contending with the question of what role does architecture play in these rituals?
Traditional casket burials and cremation services are increasingly being replaced by biodegradable urn pods and ashes turned into diamonds, among other innovations. What implications might these developments have on the space and design of crematoria? And how can these memorials be designed to consider both post-mortem rituals and environmental concerns? To renew this discussion, we have curated a list of 10 crematoria published on ArchDaily which combine emotion, environment, and ritual under a refined architectural movement. For our full collection of crematoria, click here.