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Article from issue 5/1997 »Flat Roof Construction«

Devotional Centre in Fréjus, France

documentation p. 714 - 715
Architect Desmoulin, Bernard |

Drafts
East elevation/Plan of roof construction/Floor plan 1:100
Sectional details of roof 1:20
Site plan of cemetry 1:2500

These two identical, open structures form part of an urn cemetery complex and serve four different faiths as a place of prayer and ritual ceremony. The symbols of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism are worked into separate stone slabs set into stelae of oxidized sheet steel. Light wood-slat sliding screens can be drawn round the individual stelae to form discrete spaces sheltered from public view. The roofs are also covered with closely spaced wooden slats that provide solar shading. Depending on the angle of incidence of the sun, the overhead covering and the variable screens help to create a variety of moods and changing patterns of light and shade within the spaces.