RITO Y ESPACIO. El proyecto de celebración de la muerte.

The impulse for this research arises spontaneously, as a critique of the Spanish crematorium on a personal level as a user. It seems that funerary architecture in Spain does not possess its own character; funeral parlors could well be office buildings, airports, or hotels, and do not represent the importance of the rituals they hold. By studying the case of the European crematorium, we can see how these problems are repeated in other countries.

The aim of this Ph.D. thesis is to understand the reasons that led to the formalization of this architecture in the 1970s. To identify difficulties in the design process and to offer possible approaches based on the correct execution and perception of the funeral rites as a program in relation to this space. The research is divided intro three parts.

The first theoretical part tries to inform about the elements and circumstances that interfere with the design of this architecture; from the perception of death in our time according to sociological studies, to the analysis of the complexity of the European crematorium as a type building, to studying the singular case of the Spanish crematorium (which revolves around the presence of wake rooms).

The second part is a graphic analysis of the recurring characteristics of crematoriums in Spain -325 case studies-. A well-founded critique of the problems they present, trying to find the reasons behind their formalization. A tool for the design of future projects.

The third part is made up of the conclusions and transversal readings of the research as a whole. Notes on tangent themes and future prospects that open up new possible lines of research within the thesis, and attempt to provide updated solutions to the demands of our society with regard to funeral rites and their associated spaces.