MRM arquitectos: añorbe cemetery extension

‘añorbe cemetery extension’ by MRM arquitectos, navarra, spainimage © mikel muruzabalall images courtesy of MRM arquitectos

the isolated location of the ‘añorbe cemetery’ and it’s new extension by MRM arquitectos and the municipality in general, perched upon an escarpment defines a certain set of arquitectonic criteria on a large scale based on the relationship with its context and the formal/functional discontinuity with the urban morphology of the town. the program formalizes itself through the new enclosure in two areas, with reinterpreted walls that extend the existingpartitions: sculptors of the very contours to which they simultaneously adapt to and retain with concave and convex fluid moves that incorporate the sky, views, and landscape in a cohesive structure. the retaining walls redefine edges and spaces with a partial transparency created from the intrinsic material properties of hollow concrete masonry units (CMU) that, depending on the viewing angle, can offer a direct connection to various parts of the site or read as a solid mass completely separating the two spatial spheres. each transparent block contains it’s own distinct void, enclosing the footprint in a permeable membrane that redefines the archetypal ‘room’ and allows each component to exhibit the passage of time through its own orientation and position within the compilation. nature, wind and light are free to pierce the threshold making the envelope a mere suggestion of space rather than an autocratic delineation, so the visitor may be entirely consumed within the serene environment at the same time satisfying the practical needs of an architecturally functioning construction.

entrance to the extensionimage © mikel muruzabal

sideways CMU blocks create a visual permeability while delineating spaceimage © mikel muruzabal

partial transparencyimage © mikel muruzabal

masonry detailimage © mikel muruzabal

wall in the landscapeimage © mikel muruzabal

enclosed spaceimage © mikel muruzabal

floor plan / level 0

CMU construction details

project info:

client: ayuntamiento de añorbeproject architects: mrm arquitectos s.l.p. (miguel alonso flamarique, roberto erviti machain y mamen escorihuela vitales)construction manager: mrm arquitectos s.l.p. (miguel alonso flamarique, roberto erviti machain y mamen escorihuela vitales)collaborators: josep agustí de ciurana (structure)technical architect: andoni ciáurriz arrarásconstruction: construcciones inagar s.l.photography: mikel muruzabalcompetition: 11/2005design phases: 13/11/2006start construction: 01/07/2010completion: 31/03/2011location: c/ norte, 31054, añorbe, navarra, spainbuilt area: 32 m2 construidostotal area: 1,917 m2