Cemetery Extension
Architect: atelier Régis Roudil architectes
Location: Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon, France
Type: Cemetery
Year: 2023
Photographs: Florence Vesval
Situation
The following description is courtesy of the architects. Located on the southern flank of Sainte Victoire, a mountain characteristic of the landscape Aixois, the existing cemetery of the village of Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon is made up two extensions of an initial cemetery, creating three enclosures with heterogeneous portals, surrounded by walls.
The extension takes place to the north, like a staple encircling the cemetery existing. This staple is made of dry stone wall 80 cm thick and rises to 1.60 m. The future vaults will be housed next to each other along the stone wall.
The general footprint of the project forms a square. This strong form brings rigor in this large landscape, reorders the different extensions, to find unity in accumulation. The project by its volumetry, its thickness, its heights also offers the introversion necessary for collection, in this open site towards the great landscape.
The project takes place in the town of Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon located on the southern slope of Sainte Victoire, a few kilometers from Aix-en-Provence. This limestone mountain, characteristic of the Aix landscape, has a steep slope on its southern slope. The proximity of the Cengle bar to the south and the plateau of Maurély to the West, offers the site a unique landscape setting.
Only accessible by the RD17, the village is isolated but faced with traffic important which crosses it from East to West. The cemetery is accessed via a small sloping path, connected to the main departmental road. The cemetery is reveals little by little.
With its picturesque appearance, the site refers to a territory nourished by imagination where emotions resonate. Therefore, any intervention must echo this sensitivity emanating from its surrounding landscape.
It is on this idyllic site that an ancient cemetery made up of numerous expansions that have taken place over the years. The last of the expansions reaching saturation, an extension becomes necessary.
Matter
The project takes into account the context of the Sainte-Victoire mountain with with the aim of anchoring itself sustainably and humbly in the territory.
Entirely designed with stone from a quarry located a few kilometers away only of the project, the stone of Rians, the extension is part of the history of the site. This stone, a local identity material, presents colors which certainly recall those of the rocks of Sainte-Victoire.
This new wall, 80 cm thick, rising to a height of 1.60 m from the level of the new platform of the extension, is built in dry stone. The wall is embedded in the slope, deals with the relationship to the ground. The topography is then adapted. Compared to the level of the natural terrain, the wall rises widely, creating such a totem, calling the hiker from the access below to the South East.
All of the gates have been standardized, following a simple bar design vertical square sections positioned at 45°. A thin frame closes the gate drawing in the upper part a detail allowing an element of closing. The gates are made of steel and left raw. They will evolve naturally in time.
The existing vegetation has been preserved as much as possible and expanded. The few subjects transplantable seeds were crushed and used as mulch spread over areas plants of the project, the garden of memories. Newly planted trees will grow and will provide shade to the extension. The species planted, both for the trees only for the covering vegetation come from the species present on site, thyme, rosemary, lavender, … The olfactory sensations of the scrubland are reinforced. The plant character of the site is preserved.
Thus, by its location and its materiality, the cemetery finds a hook telluric to the mountain and quite naturally finds its place in the site.
Composition of the Project
The existing cemetery consists of 3 areas surrounded by walls. A first cemetery, the ancestral cemetery takes place in the South East. A first extension came to rest on its western flank. A third extension takes place at the north of these first two cemeteries, in length. We access each of the zones through portals, heterogeneous.
The extension is embedded in the hill to the North, like a staple encircling the existing cemetery. This wall is extended by the development of the surroundings of the existing, all forming a perfect square.
The future vaults will be housed next to each other along the north wall. in stone. A strip of vegetation is left free between the extension and the existing one. This widely planted strip represents the garden of memories. Two benches take place on either side of this garden. The columbariums are reorganized in the second expansion.
The new extension is accessed by a staircase to the east or a ramp to the west. The old existing north wall was leveled in order to open up the views from the new platform towards the South. The entire cemetery is accessible to people at reduced mobility.
A double portal, allowing the thickness of the wall to be preserved, is located to the West, it will allow access to funeral directors during burials in the vaults.
The project reorders the different extensions, unity in the accumulation is found. Its composition allows it to offer the introversion necessary for the collection, in this site open to the great landscape.
Construction
The layout of the new surrounding wall and the materiality of the ground around the existing one,
straightens the orthogonality of the plan of the original cemetery. Stabilized soils reinforced contribute to the natural minerality of the site while facilitating accessibility.
Although the existing one is preserved, the wall to the north has been leveled in order to clear the view
on the great landscape to the South. This wall was stripped of its initial coating in poor condition, then bush hammered in order to restore homogeneity at lower cost. It then matches the irregularity of the texture of the stone.
Two benches like massive horizontal blocks were made from bush hammered concrete. They are positioned symmetrically at both ends of the extension. They allow you to reflect or enjoy the great landscape. Always in this desire to conserve a site, a resource, a matter ; the access staircase to the extension located to the east as well as the steps in the heart of the cemetery are built of reclaimed stone.
All the locks have been taken over to confirm the unitary nature of all cemeteries.
Project Details
- Address: Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon
- Program: Cemetery Extension
- Project owner: Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon town hall
- Subject mastery:
- Atelier Régis Roudil Architectes
- Amélie Artur
- Geotechnical engineer: SOL-ESSAI
- BET Structure: l2C
- BET VRD: CERRETI
- Area: 85m² SDP + 80m²
- Cost of work: €256,300 excluding tax
- Calendar:
- Study: April 20219
- Construction site: September 2022
- Delivery: June 2023
- Businesses:
- Mediterranean landscapes
- Gagneraud construction
- Assignment:
- Complete mission + OPC
- Architect representative
- Photo credit: Florence Vesval
