M2SENOS, WHERE IS THE TOILET, PLEASE?, ÍLHAVO, PT
Where is the toilet, please?
Toilettes in a cemetery do not seem to be the most appealing projects. Not even for the design brief. Not even for the place. Not even for the budget. Nevertheless, for us, it was exciting!
The (old) building was huge and absolutely out of the context, with vast flat roofs that almost touch the chapel.
All we did was to reduce the size and to summarize the information. An abstract exercise to create an abstract object: no doors, no windows, no sheds or porches.
The object should be more related to the natural elements, and less with the constructed ones, highlighting the church that is so close by. To achieve this, to create a uniform and neutral object, the ceramic tile must coat the entire building, from the facades to the rooftop.
Through the two extracted mass on the facades we get in the building. On the south side, we access the new facilities for supporting the cemetery workers staff. The main entrance is from the north and take us to the central space, inside the building, but with exterior features, pointed out by the natural light and the Portuguese Pavement on the floor (the sidewalks that surround the building continuity).
The candle burner is a sturdy and resistant piece made of black painted iron despite the delicate design.
As a whole, these two objects reinforce the hierarchical network of the cemetery, not ceasing to be, by the scale and synthetic unit, plus one of its “salt and pepper shakers “.
Text by M2Senos
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