Shijiazhuang Ander Memorial Park · Cloud Mirror / Archermit
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© ARCH-EXISTText description provided by the architects. Shijiazhuang Ander Memorial Park is located at the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains, with numerous surrounding natural scenic areas. The project site features magnificent and beautiful scenery, and lush greenery, and is rich in the symbols of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird, making it an excellent Fengshui treasure land.
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Plan – Site
© ARCH-EXISTThe design of the Cloud Mirror aims to respect traditional funeral culture while transforming the design concept of traditional cemeteries. With a focus on landscaping, artistry, and personalization, it seeks to embody a harmonious, peaceful, relaxed, and warm humanistic landscape atmosphere with a strong sense of ceremony and artistry. The emotion-free warm spaces aim to provide people with physical and mental relaxation and allow the living to heal their sorrows while offering a resting place for the deceased. The goal is to achieve a symbiotic and joyful coexistence between humans and nature.
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© ARCH-EXISTWe take the triangle in the star-shaped element to refer to the star. The triangle is the basic figure of the geometric pattern, and the equilateral triangle is the most stable structure. There are a lot of classic applications in architecture. The equilateral triangle becomes the core image embryo of the cloud mirror. Extended by the imagery of stars, the nebula, the twenty-eight constellations, and the most well-known Big Dipper among them have become important carriers for constructing the cloud mirror narrative scene.
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Section
© ARCH-EXISTThe Cloud Mirror is located at the end of the handle of the Big Dipper constellation, Yaoguang (Alkaid). In ancient times, it was a symbol of auspiciousness, representing fearlessness and rebirth. The triangular shape of the land at the foot of the mountain is combined with various scales of equilateral triangles to present the imagery of stars. The Cloud Mirror floats in the valley like a massive star, reflecting the distant stars in the sky. It symbolizes eternity, remembrance, protection, and strength. The design of the structure revolves around a central triangular skylight courtyard, where the layout, architectural form, and structural details fully consider the relationship between triangular elements and light and shadow.
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Plan – 2nd floor
© ARCH-EXISTThe skylights on the triangular roof and the triangular framework in the corners create a sacred and rich interplay of light and shadow in the service hall and courtyards. Every noon, sunlight penetrates through the glass skylights on the roof, breaking through the glass floor of the service hall, pouring down from the leaf installation in the central skylight courtyard, and penetrating through the translucent glass brick walls of the restaurant, illuminating the courtyard of the lower-level memorial hall. This beam of light connects heaven and earth, yin and yang, creating a sense of sacredness, clarity, and ceremony in the space, while also adding a touch of colorful warmth.
© ARCH-EXISTThe cemetery serves as an important carrier connecting the emotions of the living and the departed. We hope that the cemetery can be appreciated and cherished as another form of life, giving this ancient commemorative place ecological healing, emotional functions, and artistic value, reflecting the humanistic and practical value of modern cemeteries.
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