Funeral Ceremony Hall Valašské Meziříčí - competition results

The subject of the competition was the processing of an architectural design for the construction of “Funeral Hall Valašské Meziříčí”. The building was to include a columbarium and a scattering meadow. Everything was to be located in the area of the Public Cemetery of the City of Valašské Meziříčí, on plots number 517/1 - part and number 517/24 - part in the cadastral area of Krásno nad Bečvou.

Organizer: City of Valašské Meziříčí, Náměstí 7, 757 01 Valašské Meziříčí
Authorized representative of the organizer: Jiří Částečka, Mayor
Secretary of the competition: Ing.arch. Dagmar Vávrová, Soudní 1221, Valašské Meziříčí

Jury:
Ing.arch. Milena Vitoulová, Ostrava - independent
Ing.arch. Michal Hron, Prague - independent
Ing.arch. Petr Bumbálek, Kroměříž - independent
Ing. Zdeněk Bobek, Head of the Investment Department, Valašské Meziříčí City Office, dependent
Ing.arch. Petr Klier, Valašské Meziříčí - dependent

Alternates of the jury: 

Ing.arch. Jana Bělská, Brno - independent
Ing.arch. Dagmar Nová, Zlín - independent
Mgr. Jiří Hruška, councilor - dependent 

Mgr. Zdeněk Petroš, councilor - dependent

Date of the competition: 27. 03. 2014 - 29. 08. 2014
Date of announcement of results: 24. 09. 2014
Number of submitted designs: 61
Total prizes and awards: 350,000 CZK

1st prize: amount of 180,000 CZK

authors: Ing.arch. Lukáš Pecka, PhD., Brno, Ing.arch. Ivana Smětáková
Jury assessment: The design presents a clear spatial whole with a strong symbolic expression and a good urban concept. This concept is simple, functional, utilizing the full potential of the addressed area. It clearly, understandably, and unobtrusively hierarchizes individual spaces: the path down the slope rhythmized by stairs along the columbarium, the hall with a mournful atrium, and the scattering meadow. It operates with classical architectural means: symmetry, rhythm, and perspective. The list of attachments and the recommended factual assignment are fulfilled in full. It contemplates the ritual of the “last journey” with the aim of creating a dignified environment. The seemingly symmetrical entrance facade with a portico across the entire width of the building connects the entrance to the hall and to the mourning atrium. The funeral hall has a traditional arrangement of a three-nave space. The layout solution demonstrates knowledge of operations. The material solution of the facade - stone cladding in combination with plaster guarantees optimal durability, cost, and maintenance of the building. In the interior, the author works with the concepts of sadness - hope, dark shade - light shade of cladding, and basilical illumination of the catafalque. The material of the furniture - predominantly oak wood - is appropriately chosen. The entrance doors and fountain are artistically designed. The structure is designed in masonry wall technology and monolithic ceilings. The author also demonstrates knowledge of the technology, which is documented by diagrams in the graphic part of the proposal. It is witty to combine the function of the skylight, which serves as a source of natural lighting but also as coverage for ventilation technology. The expert member of the jury found no operational defects in the proposal. The design respects the required investment costs.

2nd prize: amount of 120,000 CZK

authors: Ing.arch. Pavel Jaroš, Jihlava; Ing.arch. Jan Smékal, Prostějov; Ing.arch. Zdenek Beran, Prostějov
Jury assessment: The design is complete, and the additions based on the assignment for the 2nd round were fulfilled. The author justifies the conceptual solution of the placement of the officiant's room without direct mutual links to the room for the bereaved. According to the expert's statement, this solution can be accepted. Other operational connections are in accordance with the jury’s recommendations for the 2nd round. The jury perceives a strong ideological concept of the design: life – death, which is reflected in the overall architectural expression. The implementation of this idea resulted in a simple and clean solution. The layout solution is also clean. The proposed burial of the coffin below the floor level is unjustified. The way of concluding the ceremony with the carrying out of the coffin takes place through the hall and, according to the expert’s statement, is feasible. The interior is solved simply, minimally, and the lighting, which creates various atmospheres related to the course of the ceremony, is suitably thought out. The exterior lighting is impressive in the design and emphasizes the expression of the architecture. The approach to architecture is clear and convincing, using elements of water surfaces at the main entrance. The structural solution is simple and economical. The graphic part of the proposal does not sufficiently present the placement of the building in the terrain. The jury positively evaluates the blending of used materials in the exterior and interior. The design respects the required investment costs.

Award: amount of 50,000 CZK

MIMOSA architects, s.r.o. Prague
Jury assessment: The author provided documentation in the required scope, but exceeded the number of required drawings (3). The jury agreed that in terms of the wording of Article 6.2 of the competition conditions, the submitted project can be evaluated. The author did not respect the jury’s recommendation regarding the preservation of the existing access road to the service building and emphasizing the fact that it cannot be blocked. Based on the jury's recommendation from the 1st competition round, the author separated the entrance of persons with reduced mobility from the carrying of the coffin, relocated the officiant to the waiting room for the bereaved and the exhibition, and expanded the layout with proper technical facilities. The author also added upper daylight lighting for the waiting room of the bereaved and the coffin exhibition, significantly improving this space. The funeral hall's location and connection with the mourning grove and scattering meadow creates a closed memorial area naturally linked to the cemetery space. The author places the funeral hall in the lower part of the slope near the service building, allowing easier access for individuals with reduced mobility. On the other hand, he alters the existing character of the current main access road by presuming the carrying of the coffin from there, thereby assigning an exclusively technical function to the existing main entrance, which is thus blocked. This design would therefore necessitate a new change in the hierarchy and categorization of the entrances to the cemetery, which the jury expert excludes. An original idea is the garden in the immediate vicinity of the funeral hall, defined by a green wall. The design conveys a strong ideological charge. The design also deals in detail with the landscaping solutions, which it perceives as an integral part of the architecture. The layout solution of the building itself is clean. Access to the technical level is insufficient. The documentation does not show the passage between individual rooms of technical equipment. The architecture of the building is formally simple, while the arched ribs evoke the atmosphere of a sacred building. The walk around the building, supplemented by an unconventional columbarium design, acts as an intermediary between the funeral hall and the garden, enhancing the memorial nature of the site; however, the form of the columbarium remains unresolved from an operational perspective. Generally, it can be said that the architecture of the proposal is original and responds to contemporary trends. The building is designed as a prefabricated structure assembled from concrete elements. The structural material is made evident in the exterior - concrete. The structure is characterized by sophisticated, highly architectonic details. The design places very high demands on the quality of the construction supplier. The interior is artistically resolved in the same spirit as the external form, working with very simple means yet feeling very respectful. The walls are sensitively complemented by artistic work without pathos. The design interestingly and sensitively addresses the “scenography” of the ceremony using artificial lighting and audiovisual systems. The economics - requested costs were adhered to.

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