The Open-Sided Shelter by Ron Shenkin Studio for Architecture and Design

The shelter, a semi-open structure, provides a space for the meeting of mourners and for the reading of eulogies, prior to and during the burial ceremony. Located adjacent to a cemetery, the building is purposed as a pavilion or an open-sided shelter.

The building consists of two entrances, the smaller of which serves the family of the deceased. The larger entrance is meant for the rest of the mourners, allowing easy access to the expansive structure. One side of the building is kept open to the north. The pavilion is planned in a way that allows the mourners who prefer to be at a distance a feeling of attachment to the proceedings, while being in a shaded space that is not inside the structure itself.

Two exits lead to the burial lots, an easily accessible one and the other via a flight of stairs.

The area housing the pavilion used to be surrounded by orchards which were felled to make way for new commercial and residential building projects. As an ode to this lost rural identity, the studio erected a monument to celebrate the surrounding’s roots that were lost due to the urban redevelopment.

The monument is made of an exposed concrete slab that is represents the growth of construction. This slab is supported by metal pillars that are shaped as trees, a symbol of the orchards that were razed down. An oak tree remains within the structure, its presence being respected as the ceiling above the metal trees has been kept open to foster a dialogue between the living tree and its metal counterparts.