Olson Kundig Imagines a Middle for Human Composting in Seattle 

Olson Kundig envisions a human composting center in Seattle

© Olson Kundig

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https://www.archdaily.com/928972/olson-kundig-imagines-a-center-for-human-composting-in-seattle

The international design office Olson Kundig has developed a new sustainable option for aftercare. In fact, the architects created the world’s first facility for converting human remains to earth, a flagship for Recompose in Seattle.

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© Olson Kundig

Following the legalization of human remains disposal through composting in Washington State, Recompose | SEATTLE, which is slated to open in spring 2021, will be the first project to offer this burial alternative for people. Under the direction of Head of Design Alan Maskin and in collaboration with Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of the non-profit organization Recompose, the original service of “natural organic reduction” was introduced in the innovative facility.

© Olson Kundig

We wondered how we could use nature – which perfected the life / death cycle – as a model for human death care. […] We saw an opportunity for this profound moment to give something back to the earth and reconnect with these natural cycles. – Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of Recompose, a nonprofit.

© Olson Kundig

The process initiated can convert human remains to earth in about 30 days, helping to nourish new life after death. As an alternative to traditional techniques, this method uses one eighth the energy of cremation, saving more than a ton of carbon dioxide per person. In close cooperation, the Recompose team designed the first prototype of the Recompose ship in 2016 and at the same time fulfilled a residency in the offices of Olson Kundig.

With the suggestion Recompose | SEATTLE, located in the SODO neighborhood of Seattle, is setting up an 18,500-square-foot facility to help initiate the process. With a modular system at the center of the conception, the project, which consists of 75 vessels, focuses “on individual natural organic reduction vessels that transform human remains into clean, usable soil”.

© Olson Kundig

The ships are not the only unit of the composition that is stacked and organized in such a way that a central collecting space is created. Alan Maskin, owner and construction manager at Olson Kundig, explains: “This facility houses the Recompose ships, but is also an important place for ritual and public gatherings. The project will ultimately foster a more direct, participatory experience and dialogue about death and the celebration of life. “The Recompose | SEATTLE room also includes rooms for the storage and preparation of bodies, administrative areas behind the house and an interpretive public lobby that describes the recompose process. Finally, the transparency between exterior and interior emphasizes the collapse of the boundaries between human beings Experience and natural processes.

© Olson Kundig

As a studio, Olson Kundig has always worked closely with some of the most resourceful and innovative problem solvers in the world like Katrina and her team. We are honored to be part of this project and we are excited to see the world’s first Recompose facility opening its doors in Seattle. – Alan Maskin, owner and design manager at Olson Kundig.

© Olson Kundig

• Olson Kundig Design Team: Alan Maskin, Design Principal; Blair Payson, AIA, LEED® AP, project manager; Nick Ladd, LEED® AP, project architect
• Recompose team: Katrina Spade, founder and CEO; Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, PhD, research advisor; Tanya Marsh, Legal Strategy; Alan Maskin, architecture and design; Angela Hennessy, Ritual and Cultural Practices; Caitlin Doughty, Alternative Burial Practices; Leslie Christian, CFA, Organizational Strategy; Jim Boldt, Public Affairs; Alua Arthur, End of Life Planning; Erik Bondo, project management
• Advisory team: Veksel Consulting & Construction, owner’s representative