The Park
Shortlisted
Digital Construction
Constructing Excellence South West 2023
Shortlisted
Innovation
Constructing Excellence South West 2023
The Park is a new state-of-the-art crematorium facility for the Saltram area of Plymouth. The scheme also includes an on-site cafe and offices for the Drake Memorial Park.
The location of the new building has prompted a landscape inspired design response. The scheme roots itself in the calmness of the surrounding landscape to provide the best possible experience for mourners.
A naturalistic approach.
A strong processional route is created on entering the site. Hedge-banks form a continuous containment to the northern boundary of the access road. To the south, a series of transient water bodies lie adjacent to the road creating a more open feel. A mixture of native and non-native tree planting provides seasonal interest and a verdant, naturalistic approach.
A large pond with natural and organic planting sits next to the main ceremony space. The water reflects the building and resonates the calm and muted use of materiality throughout. At dusk, light spills out of the building onto the water.
By working closely with the design team and engaging a broad range of stakeholders, we ensured that the potential impacts of the new facility were fully considered. With the support of a comprehensive Environmental Statement, we demonstrated that the development’s significant effects were properly addressed—resulting in a scheme that delivers measurable biodiversity gains and meaningful social and economic benefits for Plymouth.
Ed Flood, Senior Town Planner, Stride Treglown
Remembrance, reflection, celebration.
The new facility includes two non-denomination ceremony spaces with flexible seating, waiting areas, offices, a new crematory and three new cremators plus room for a fourth, all with the latest environmental protection equipment.
Modern, soft and understated.
The ceremony spaces draw heavily from Scandinavian crematoria, providing a minimal aesthetic that does not distract from the occasion. This space reflects the calmness of the surrounding landscape and provides an outward looking experience.
Both ceremony spaces reveal the undulating form of the roof. Glulam timber is used in the structure to add warmth and assist in drawing the eye outward. The external walls are to be clad with Plymouth Limestone in tribute to the geography of this place.
The materiality is deliberately soft in this sensitive place, maximising the use of light from both the windows and roof light above the catafalque.
A landscape inspired design.
Due to the topography of the land and the requirement for separate spaces, the building has been split into three main elements; the two ceremony spaces with their ancillary rooms, and the main private ‘back of house’ building which houses most of the technical, support and welfare facilities.
A palette of Plymouth Limestone and concrete, both textured and polished, stamps this building into the landscape. Whilst the weathered copper of the roof mirrors the landscape. This undulating and dynamic roofscape alters the appearance of the building as you move around it.
