Gallery

Atelier Vranek - 3D Production + Architectural Design
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Georg Vranek / dipl. Architekt ETH-SIA / Riffigstrasse 30 / CH-6020 Emmenbrücke
Mob: +41 76 560 79 74
Tel: +41 41 281 27 55
e-mail: vranek@vranek.ch / http://www.vranek.ch
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Competition entry 2014 for The Celebration of Death: The Spiral of life.
This walk-in memorial is based in its form and function upon the classical mindset of the four elements:
Earth, Water, Air and Fire, which are vertically intertwined with each other. The shape of the
cone recalls with its origin in the earth the beginning of life, which spirally, symbolizing the maelstrom
and eternity of life, opens against the sky.
On the ground, the spiral of life rises on a gentle hill, which is divided into annual rings housing in a
first layer sarcophagi for the burial.
Thereafter, the visitors exceeds a glass skylight with shading elements granting sight into the baptistery
or funeral chapel in the earth.
The Visitor, entering the spiral, the symbol of eternal life, is starting to move upwards. He may also
use the elevator, which is located in the inner structure.
Honeycomb solids as a container, closed for urns, open for arrangements, line the way to the top,
accompanied by water strands, which provide pleasant cooling, by planttroughs attracking butterflies
and by embedded seating opportunities to search the silent conversation
with the deceased or to have a view over the solids into the sunset. The honeycomb solids may also
be decorated individually by artists.
At the top in 60m height lies a white funeral chapel in form of a closed water lily, symbol of
the heavenly gardens, opening itself during ceremony leaving the soul to heaven. Here would also be
burials permitted handing over the ashes to the wind.
The spiral is lined by fiery LEDs on the edge and by an inner spiral with illuminations created by artists
to underline the way up finding their completion in the white chapel.
The walk-in sculpture stands in the city or in the countryside, the dead are part of the lived life, the
sculpture becomes a nature-loving intercultural meeting place and stands as a symbolic mediator
between this world and the hereafter.