The Ceremony Room Project architectural design sets the scene, providing a sense of warmth around life's special occasions. The room is created to provide space for people to celebrate life cycle events, and special design considerations make this possible in this ceremonial space.
It is significant that the setting does not point in any particular direction, but rather is without direction – instead by encircling the persons involved. As a start, the Ceremony Room has been designed so that you can enter it from all sides. The entrance and exits are everywhere, and there are no doors. To emphasise the Ceremony Room's connection with its surroundings and to take a break in daily life, all secondary functions have been placed under the building.
The plan shows a "non-building". To capture a lightweight appearance, the architectural concept combines seven stacked rings of various heights. The glass structure appears increasing more transparent as you move upwards, and almost seems to disappear into the surroundings. The universal elements such as light and water are used as design parameters. The spatial glass walls are formed as glass "gills" that allow individual ventilation and variable lighting, depending on the season and purpose.
The walls are windows and vice versa. The surroundings are produced as combined fragments in the inner space, while the horizon and surroundings extend into the space via the large rotating ceiling mirror, which at the same time functions as a cover to protect from rain. On particularly warm days, the structure becomes enveloped in mist, so that the Ceremony Room practically disappears, at the same time that it cools down.
Like rain falling from many heights, this directionless room can be divided using temporary water-curtains, thus changing the room plan or orientation in different ways.
The room, with its own simple form, is a kind of ever-changing space for the individual celebration of life's events.
The plan for the Ceremony Room is without context and scale, and should be seen as an expression of the poetic inclusion of a neutral lifestyle. The plan is a preliminary design and a statement about meaningful new architecture.
The Ceremony Room could for instance be located in an area of scenic beauty with space for 10 people – or become part of the New York Skyline with space for 1000.
Built in or near populated areas? Centrally located in big cities or in naturally beautiful surroundings?
The concept is complete and an architectural model has been made – but who will turn this project room into reality and how? And will it be financed with national, municipal or private funding? These questions are uncertain – but what is clear is that the Project Ceremony Room is a unique chance to demonstrate vision, respect and understanding.