Asymptote Architecture, The Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium, Schiedam, Netherlands, fluid form, perforated envelope, progressive architecture, architectural award, progressive architecture award

The Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium by Asymptote Architecture recently won 2013 Progressive Architecture Award, showing that the building can be the powerful architectural piece regardless of its program. Located in the Dutch community of Schiedam, this fluid piece accommodates and celebrates whole variety of rituals, both in form and program. Comprising an undulating seamed copper roof and double-curved enclosure, Asymptote’s design for the Auditorium and Crematorium in Netherlands exploits the country’s rich tradition of brick architecture through a thoroughly contemporary formal expression.

The building is wrapped into dematerialized envelope whose perforations invite modular daylight to enter the interior. The structure could be seen as a materialization of movement and it intensely bonds with the surrounding in its fluidity and smooth flow. Pools at each corner of the building collect water flowing along the edifice, providing a serenity that complements the peaceful aura of the rest of the building. The interior spaces of Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium are imbued with a subtly transforming quality of light that works in concert with the shifting architectural form. On the exterior, the dune-like architecture is another landscape element that bridges over the adjacent canal.

Due to its primary program, the timelessness of the design was the imperative; therefore the cultural center is flexible in program and is designed to be an open-ended venue for various performances, exhibitions and poetry readings. This complex project actually demonstrates the realization of a profound collective imagination where all the pieces perfectly fit with one another, creating the whole, balanced and in harmony.

Asymptote Architecture, The Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium, Schiedam, Netherlands, fluid form, perforated envelope, progressive architecture, architectural award, progressive architecture award

Asymptote Architecture, The Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium, Schiedam, Netherlands, fluid form, perforated envelope, progressive architecture, architectural award, progressive architecture award

Asymptote Architecture, The Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium, Schiedam, Netherlands, fluid form, perforated envelope, progressive architecture, architectural award, progressive architecture award

Asymptote Architecture, The Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium, Schiedam, Netherlands, fluid form, perforated envelope, progressive architecture, architectural award, progressive architecture award

Asymptote Architecture, The Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium, Schiedam, Netherlands, fluid form, perforated envelope, progressive architecture, architectural award, progressive architecture award

Asymptote Architecture, The Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium, Schiedam, Netherlands, fluid form, perforated envelope, progressive architecture, architectural award, progressive architecture award

Asymptote Architecture, The Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium, Schiedam, Netherlands, fluid form, perforated envelope, progressive architecture, architectural award, progressive architecture award

Asymptote Architecture, The Beukenhof Auditorium and Crematorium, Schiedam, Netherlands, fluid form, perforated envelope, progressive architecture, architectural award, progressive architecture award

Leave a Reply