Chicago interfaith mausoleum

Tony Filardo
ARC605 | Spring 2011

Labyrinths are often walked by people in an effort to lose themselves in a meditative and reflective state. They are found in many places, even some churches, and don’t pertain to a particular religion. The concept is one of a singular non-direct path that leads to the center of a circle. Moving forward from thinking of walkable remembrance spaces, the movement of how one could weave in and out of interior and exterior space was studied through paper models and sketches.

The structural system is a repeated steel rib that is concealed with the exterior niche wall. The ribs are constructed of an extruded wide flange beam, with heavily welded connections to support the loculi track and the irregular shape. This allows for no interior columns, and the narrowest section depth possible compared to an otherwise massive concrete possibility.