Architekt Bernardo Bader
Islamischer Friedhof Altach
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public buildings
Place
Altach/Österreich
Studio
Photos
Adolf Bereuter
Description
The goal of the design is an open-plan overall concept. Pragmatically and with a minimum of symbolism, the cemetery inserts itself unobtrusively in the countryside. Burial sites were humanity’s first gardens, regardless of which religion. When creating a garden, a piece of land is demarcated from and against the wilderness. A delicate fabric of wall slabs surrounds the graveyards and the building facilities. The »finger-shaped« burial fields are conceived as separate enclosures and embed the ensemble in the pristine meadow-like landscape. The required interior spaces also develop out of the theme of the wall. A covered prayer room opens onto the inner courtyard. The large opening with a wooden mashrabiya screen displaying an octagonal Islamic ornamental motif produces a pleasing play of light and shadow. This harmonious setting is designed to give Islamic families a whole new feeling of home.