Island of the ancestral worship Defining the meaning of ocean in the social structure of the specific place.
- Year2015
- LocationHong Kong
The ocean is seen as a spatial reserve in the times when various cultures around the world deal with the lack of burial grounds. Hong Kong has been chosen as an example of the metropolis that has been trying to find a solution for such an issue almost for a decade already. Regarding the Hong Kong issue, limited spatial conditions are not the only problem-making elements. Complex system of Chinese folk religion requires very specific conditions for the burial of the deceased which are not being taken into account in the governmental solutions. Island of the ancestral worship is the project which is offering the desired space for the urns while meeting the needs of the religion and the traditions.
Creating the physical space and clear differentiation between the world of live and the deceased are the main desired features. The sea is now obtaining the new meaning and importance within the local community. Floating columbarium is employing the concept of biodegradable urns which are designed to be dissolved in the sea after the times. Physical place of the urn deposition is being then transformed into the intangible trace in the minds of mourners. The urn with ashes disappear in time, but the place of worship remains forever. The project defines the concept of the innovation for the sea architecture as a counterpart to the conventional sea designs developing the futuristic shapes without any relation to nature of the matter and human scale. On the contrary, employing the most innovative research in material sciences to achieve the possibilities of reinterpreting the logical structural principles and using them in new unexpected situations and environments is a promising approach in the architecture for the sea.