álvaro siza + carlos castanheira complete hillside mausoleum for a taiwanese cemetery

álvaro siza, working alongside fellow portuguese architect carlos castanheira, has designed a mausoleum as part of a private cemetery in taiwan. located in new taipei’s jinshan district, the ‘chin pao san’ cemetery overlooks the east china sea from its mountainside location. prominently positioned as part of the vast complex, the structure is topped with a concrete canopy that is supported on elegant cylindrical columns.

the mausoleum forms part of a private cemetery in taiwan
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG (also main image)

visitors access the mausoleum via a gentle path that negotiates the cemetery’s steep terrain. siza and castanheira have organized the intimate space beneath the roof canopy around the centrally positioned tomb. here, four marble benches encircle the grave, providing a peaceful area of seating for family members to sit and contemplate.

a gentle path negotiates the cemetery’s steep terrain
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

‘the space is formed by a ceiling that hangs from columns on which a low dome sits, asserting hierarchy and tradition,’ explains carlos castanheira, who has also worked with siza on projects in south korea and china. ‘the massiveness of the exposed concrete and the stone create space and function and open these to the landscape and to infinity.’

an intimate space is found beneath the roof canopy
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

concrete and marble have been employed throughout
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

the structure is supported on elegant cylindrical columns
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

four marble benches encircle the tomb
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

siza designed the project alongside fellow portuguese architect carlos castanheira
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

according to the design team, the structure asserts ‘hierarchy and tradition’
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

the building’s dramatic grid of concrete beams hovers overhead
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

a gate provides access to the mausoleum
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

the private cemetery is the resting ground for a number of well-known figures
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

the ‘chin pao san’ cemetery is located in new taipei’s jinshan district
image © fernando guerra | FG+SG

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project info:

project name: chia ching mausoleum
client: chia ching – family lin
location: jin san district, new taipei city, taiwan
project: 2015 – 2016
construction: 2016 – 2017
architects: álvaro siza with carlos castanheira
portugal office: CC&CB, arquitectos
collaborators: francesca tiri, luís trigueiros reis, joão figueiredo, erica musci, pedro afonso.
local architectural team: WZWX architecture group (stephen wang, chiou-huei lin, wen-wei cheng, jianfei cheng)
structure engineering: quanovation construction consultant co., ltd. (bruce k.c lee)
contractor: ju-gang construction co. ltd
contractor representative: ching-zong hsiao
construction management: ding-yu fang + WZWX architecture group
photography: fernando guerra | FG+SG