PAUSIS MEMORIAE by H.E.T. from austria

The designer's goal is to create a secular space to honor the «memories» of loved ones along a path of meditation.

SITE
The building is situated on the „Island d‘Ouessant“ on the tip of Brittany and is facing the ocean, in the west. This island is remarkable, as it is exposed to some of the highest tidal differences in the world. The tide completely floods the building twice a day and creates an atmosphere of illuminated material and reflections, with permanent sound produced by the swell of the sea and water dripping off the building.« L’Ile d’Ouessant » is accessible only by boat and in good weather. The building site itself is accessible only by foot.

CONCEPT
This memorial is a space to retreat and meditate (catharsis), and aims to be an alternative to existing places of worship, often charged with negative memories. This new secular building promotes the idea that the body of the deceased is merely an envelope and is far less important than their spirit.
Historically, it is noteworthy that in all major religions, water is an element of purification.
The memorial consists of four parts that represent a metaphorical dive into the memory.

STEP 1: Immersion
The first part of the building is an evocation of a secular baptism. 
This first step that guides the visitors below the horizon line of the ocean allows them to enter the phase of collective meditation.

STEP 2: Purification - both physically and mentally
The second stage is a communal contemplation space that embodies the idea of being under the surface. Sharp cuts in the ceiling reveal the sky and capture it as reflections on the zinc clad walls. The floor is made from stones, loosely distributed, that make it possible to move around while allowing water to circulate freely.

STEP 3: The return to the surface, transition and inner transformation
The third step represents the path to reach the light of the surface and return to the horizon line. It is charged with a strong, aquatic atmosphere. Semi-covered, its roof has the function of capturing the water when the tide descends, then guiding it into the interior space through micro-perforations. An artificial rain makes for a final purification ritual before the last step.

STEP 4: Acceptance / Immersion within oneself facing the horizon
This last part is only accessible at low tide. It is a gradual descent that offers increasingly personal spaces. The building is like a rock that breaks up into small islands - solitary meditation spaces. This very personal step makes it possible to send a message to your loved ones that have passed on. Contrary to the conventional idea that a name is engraved forever in the tombstone, the building offers the opportunity to write a temporary personal, and secret message. Before entering the building, the visitor can collect sand on the beach with specifically provided ceramic containers and place it in drawers located under the steps of the descent in the fourth space. One can write a message on the sand spread in the drawer, that is then closed. The remounting tide, then will cover the steps and enter the trays through a system of micro-perforation. In that sense, the sea symbolically acts as a messenger to the deceased, delivering the message.
In the end, the building aims to ease the act of remembrance. It will allow everyone to remember by discovering a space sometimes intimate and sometimes collective. Over the course of the four stages of this journey of initiation, it will help the visitors to grow along the way of accepting death as an important part of life.