Patrick Comerford
I was at two funerals in recent weeks, one day after another. I have been at crematorium funerals before, and back in 2010 I was even elected a Fellow of the Society of Crematorium Organists (FSCO). But this was my first time I was in the Oak Chapel and the Crownhill Crematorium in Milton Keynes.
Crownhill Crematorium is about 2 km west of Milton Keynes, with its main entrance off Dansteed Way. It is on a 7 ha site that incorporates informal woodland walks, water features, and a layout that provides privacy and a calm atmosphere for mourners and visitors.
Milton Keynes Development Corporation (MKDC) identified the need for a crematorium for the new town in 1971. Several areas were considered, including Tattenhoe, Willen, Kents Hill, Walton, and Crownhill, when the Crownhill site was chose in 1978, the area was then agricultural land off Watling Street, with four fields and four small ponds, one in each.
The phased development began in 1979, with plans for a chapel, a site for a second chapel, a crematorium in the middle and a cemetery spreading around the foot of the slope down to Watling Street. The crematorium designed by Roger Hobbs opened in 1982 but within a short span of time the rapid population growth of the city meant it could not meet the increased demands.
A large new complex, including the Oak Chapel, crematorium and offices, was built in the south-east half of the site in 2011 as the new operational focus, and was designed by the architect Adrian Morrow. He has designed an impressive list of buildings and has worked with first-class architectural practices.
The proposals called for a spiritual and tranquil design using austenitic stainless steel clad, cycloid form concrete roof vaults, located over thermally separated split concrete columns.
Adrian Morrow’s Oak Chapel is part of the striking architecture at the Crownhill complex, with its blend of exposed in-situ concrete cycloids, warm oak timber, stainless steel and striking stained glass windows, all within a tranquil woodland setting.
Morrow’s design is an aesthetic homage to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, designed by the architect Louis I Kahn (1901-1974) and widely recognised as one of the most significant works of architecture of our time.
The Oak Chapel is a 145-seat multi-faith space featuring natural light, fine acoustics, and bespoke stained glass created by Julian Stocks.
The building includes a waiting area, a porte cochère, a chapel with a circular sanctuary, a catafalque, a Japanese garden, a cremator room for two new cremators, staff accommodation, a wreath court, and a promenade with a rill.
Julian Stocks, who designed the stained glass, was inspired by the cycloid geometry within the chapel roof. The cycloid is one of the strongest natural forms and the design includes references to the mathematics associated with this structure.
The cycloid is found in nature in wave formation and water dynamics. The title of the artwork, Aqua, is taken from the Latin for water.
Water has endless positive associations and this theme supports the abstract architectural qualities in the design. Waves and the confluence of water are central to the design. These patterns are consciously soothing and lead the eye through the artwork and into the architecture. The choice of colour is also designed to be comforting and is based on a palette of ultramarine blues, aquamarine and turquoises.
Sustainability has been a prime consideration in the planning at Crownhill. Many of the building materials selected are Green Guide A rated. The principal spaces are naturally ventilated by means of windcatchers.
The roof was originally designed before the sustainability requirements imposed the rows of windcatchers, and in some small way distract from the simplicity of extruded vaults used by Louis I Kahn.
Heat energy is recovered from the plant to heat the building. Additional free winter heating and summer cooling is provided by ground source heat pumps. The grounds have been developed into a wildlife garden with SUDs ponds, with sustainable drainage systems.
The building was carefully planned to maintain the privacy of families and mourners, with a clear route from the entrance to the waiting room, chapel, flower court and garden of remembrance. The calming design uses height, daylight, water and views to allow visitors time for contemplation.
The first service in the Oak Chapel was held 15 years ago, on Saturday 27 August 2011. A commemorative plaque quotes Winston Churchill: ‘We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.’
Some of the shapes also reminded me of the Memorial Cenotaph in Hiroshima, a saddle-shaped concrete structure designed by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange and built in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in August 1952.
Today, the Oak Chapel in Crownhill Crematorium provides a tranquil and dignified space for cremation services, and it is also used for blessings at weddings.
