Into the Void
Atelier 02: Urban Monastery
Project
Into the Void is an urban monastery—a crematorium and sanctuary guiding families through grief. Designed as a journey, it mirrors the nonlinear path from sorrow to acceptance where water serves as a central guide, flowing through the architecture as a metaphor for emotion, transition, and renewal. Visitors pass through Vacuums of Grieving: immersive, transitional spaces that draw one inward before releasing them into light. From the darkness of anger and depression to the quiet of hope, the space allows for mourning, reflection, and celebration. The experience ends with a water cremation, completing the cycle of return. This sanctuary offers not answers, but space—for grief to be felt, understood, and ultimately, transformed.
The project is inspired by a simple flower pot — a vessel of memory and possibility. It sparked an exploration of voids, both physical and emotional. Grief, with its paradox of overwhelming fullness and numbing emptiness, became the central focus. This sanctuary offers a controlled space in which to confront that void, inviting immersion rather than avoidance. It is intentionally bare and austere, allowing emotions to swell, shift, and take on whatever form they need to. In this way, the architecture becomes a vessel for grief itself — creating a void where sorrow is not suppressed, but held. By guiding visitors through the depths of feeling, the design transforms grief into a cathartic experience, enabling healing without diminishing the weight of loss.
