A family chapel must save and preserve memory, but it should also be an intimate gathering place to go and remind the family members. The project of this tiny “home” arises from this starting point of view, from the design of a house that is protected from the outside but open to the ground to maintain relationship with vegetation of the site, natural light and fresh air.
The materials had to be durable, common and easy to obtain and work. Besides, they should provide an image of serenity, a difficult balance between the discrete and the solemn, between the simple and the rich in nuances. The special contribution of the tomb has been the selection of local materials that link the chapel to the land where the component of the family come from.
The intersection between two volumes, metaphor of the link between earthly dimension and after life one, creates a “Greek cross” layout. A concrete box defines the room that keeps the niches for coffins (eight in total); while the entrance is made by a cut through a thick wall conceived a portal, creating a threshold between outside and inside. Its skin has been treated using the “Trani stone”, known for its warm beige material with shades ranging from cream, ivory and pink colors.
