Tsuchiura City Funeral Hall

This funeral hall was designed as a place for visitors to reflect on memories of the deceased. It is arranged on a spatial framework consisting of a north-south “green axis,” which follows the mountain range that includes Mt. Tsukuba, a familiar view in Tsuchiura, and an east-west “water axis,” which connects the Sakura River and Lake Kasumigaura. On the green axis, a striking wall and a bank of sasa bamboo extend straight back from the entrance, greeting mourners and leading them to the site where they will part from the deceased. Three water gardens, each with a different mood, are arranged along the water axis, providing scenes intended to soothe the hearts of mourners remembering their loved ones.