WATER GOODBYE. a nature contact by israelbalan from mexico

Funeral services are commonly performed in a very traditional way which doesn’t offer much awareness about death to the bereaved. The casket or urn is generally displayed at the front and the family and friends sit in rows facing the front. After this, grieving process begins with the cremation or burial where they back home feeling as dead as the corpse they just bury.
Due to a lack of architectural articulation of the crematorium (which has been reduced to a utilitarian space) and because we have no contact with the deceased, it is more difficult to begin the healing process.

We believe that if people have a closer contact with death and its consequences along funeral services, when a future death of a loved one happens, they can have grieving processes more natural and effective. So, we propose a funeral home covered by water in the middle of a forest, where the friends and family of the deceased not only go to say their last goodbyes to their loved one, but to have another experience in between the shock of death and a positive healing process along daily life. Life and death are two sides of the same coin. Death is just a physical state of change.

After services are completed, people can stay in retreat spaces, allowing those who grieve to see others who are sharing the same feelings. Healing comes from sharing these emotions with others and the design of these spaces creates a sense of community and togetherness.
Nature contact is very important for those who are grieving (To interact in a less formal atmosphere). As part of the grieving process, they can gradually spread the ashes of the deceased in different ponds as part of a healing routine of readjustment and acceptance.
At the end of their stay, they rise out of the water, with the acknowledgement of their loved one’s death and healing can begin more effectively.