be paris | baumschlager eberle won the competition to design a non-denominational reception building to provide commemorative services for a green burial site.

The green burial site sought to complement this overarching vision via an appropriate development which will provide a reliable source of income, increase rural employment, bio-diversity and public engagement with the landscape.

The Judging Panel consisted of Felix Dennis and David Bliss (Trustees, The Heart of England Forest Ltd.), Colin Shenton (Shenton Group), with Stephen Hodder (Hodder+Partners) acting as the RIBA Architect Adviser.

The Judging Panel was extremely impressed by the way in which all shortlisted teams had developed their design ideas and their careful consideration of the subject matter. The Panel faced a difficult task in selecting a winner from the very varied approaches to design and site context. Panel members felt that the contemporary insertion proposed by the be paris | baumschlager eberle team - whose ‘floating’ grid shell roof sought inspiration from the canopy of an oak tree with a shimmering glass envelope beneath - would complement and melt into the beautiful landscape setting of the Alne Wood burial site.