Sacred

In 2021, the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano radically transformed the island of La Palma, destroying its ecosystems and creating a new lava landscape. The affected area, once home to a rich environment shaped by volcanic activity, now faces the challenge of rebuilding. This devastation calls for an architecture that emerges from the transformed landscape, exploring how to regenerate and coexist within this evolving territory while addressing new social and environmental conditions post-catastrophe.

A new cemetery is proposed in La Palma, located over the new lava landscape and linked to the sites of the old cemetery of Las Manchas and the former Church of Todoque, now buried beneath 20 meters of solidified lava and a superficial layer of slag. The cemetery program is fragmented, connecting to key places within the territory. Four static focal points delineate the path of this new atomised cemetery. Amidst the overwhelming terrain, the chapel appears as a landmark in the landscape, a nest-like wooden structure, a shaded threshold . The 'disappearing' wake room is proposed as an ephemeral space, a ruin dissolving into the landscape. The carved lava terrain creates two levels, concealing the body transformation machinery hidden below ground. Deep within the dense pine forest, how strange to find a clearing, a perfectly geometric pool offering serenity to those who come to bid farewell. The ascent to the summit is slow, with birds fluttering as light filters through rows of a hypostyle hall of red cypress trees. At the summit, in a depression formed by the land itself, a serene space invites contemplation of the new landscape. These are not merely functional spaces, but subtle gestures in the landscape that interact with natural elements, vegetation, and the disturbances of the environment, forming a processional ritual that connects to the transcendent essence of mourning. As one moves through the site, a series of paths unfold, each step guiding the visitor toward the burial places. The discovery of this new landscape is valued through the journey—the relationship between people and the land. The simple act of walking becomes a ritual in itself. Each turn, each pause, becomes an act of connection, deepening the reverence for the land and the memories it holds.