Norwood Chapel Canberra
It is the only crematorium in Canberra and includes the original chapel designed by Rosman Hastings and Sorel. It won the Institute of Architects Canberra Medallion in 1968 for its clean modernist lines and the quiet dignity it offered to the bereaved.
The brief for the additions envisaged a lightweight structure incorporating a tensile fabric roof which would be used as a place to receive guests following a funeral service and cremation.
Norwood Park Chapel sits within an established landscape dominated by mature eucalypts and beautiful gardens. It is the only crematorium in Canberra and includes the original chapel designed by Rosman Hastings and Sorel. It won the Institute of Architects Canberra Medallion in 1968 for its clean modernist lines and the quiet dignity it offered to the bereaved.
The brief for the additions envisaged a lightweight structure incorporating a tensile fabric roof which would be used as a place to receive guests following a funeral service and cremation. Through the course of the design process, the brief evolved to be more focused on the need for a multi-purpose space suitable for a range of functions including funeral services, wakes, a place for quiet reflection, and where light refreshments could be served.
The new wing is anchored to the original building by a contrasting rendered masonry wall behind which sits the new chapel. This space features a low dome-shaped tensile fabric roof supported by a fine tubular steel frame tensioned with stainless steel wires.