Guildford Crematorium - Guildford Borough Council
The building of Guildford Crematorium was planned and delivered in two phases with a temporary building constructed on the site whilst the old crematorium was demolished and then a new chapel was constructed on the old site. Treske was involved in both phases, providing the crematorium furniture, working closely with the client and their architect to ensure a smooth transitional period between moving out of their old building and into the new one.
Treske designed and developed bespoke furniture for the brand-new crematorium building which includes 160 bespoke chairs in solid oak with coordinated upholstery. The chapel seating is completely flexible to allow addition or removal of seating as required to suit the needs of all mourners including those using wheelchairs.
All of the furniture is designed to perfectly fit with the wall cladding which is a slatted vertical oak with a 'Penny Slot' detail.
Treske designed and constructed a fully movable, bariatric catafalque which can be reconfigured and moved around within the chapel space to suit different types of service. The matching console table is inset with a small, pull out catafalque for when there is a requirement for baby casket to be placed in the chapel.
The bespoke ambo-style lectern is an electronically adjusted rise and fall design which incorporates all of the audio-visual and committal curtain controls required by a modern day crematorium. Treske fitted the track and curtains, concealed into a recessed, oak channel in the chapel ceiling. The curtains consist of two types of curtains with opaque voile curtains for a more modern, contemporary committal and then the heavier more traditional curtains if a family wishes to have complete closer of the curtains at the end of the service. The voile and main committal curtains are colour matched to the rest of the chapel scheme and to contrast nicely against the hues of the natural oak and York stone.
Treske also made other items of furniture, that included the organ surround containing integrated storage for music, as well as for the Book of Remembrance room, the Flower room, the Waiting room and the Family rooms at the Crematorium.
Book of Remembrance Room
The Book of Remembrance room contains a run of four separate memorial bookcases all combined into one continuous run. Three of these bookcases contain physical books of remembrance and one of them houses an electronic book of remembrance. The bookcases are constructed from wood metal and glass to create a really contemporary look and the electronic book screen is set into a much larger black glass top to make it blend seamlessly into the entire run.
The Book of Remembrance room also has an integrated seating unit in oak and fabric on the opposite wall for relatives to sit and reflect whilst using the space.
Flower Room
The Flower room is open all year as a public space for visitors and used for the display of family tributes. The flower room has purpose made Silestone plinths for displaying flowers and a central island also with a Silestone top and inset sink, waste bin and storage cupboards. Wall benches also provide further flower display surfaces.
Waiting Room
The waiting room has two comfortable sofas and companion console tables providing generous seating.
Family Rooms
The two family rooms contain tables and comfortable chairs for families to discreetly meet with the crematorium staff. One of the family rooms has a tall memorial display cabinet with integrated lighting, while the other has a lower cabinet for document and memorial storage.
The reception desk is made in the same style as the other furniture items with a slatted front face and includes a modesty upstand, pull out printer shelf and integrated channels for cable management, completed the fitout of the Crematorium with bespoke crematorium furniture.
Photographs courtesy of Guildford Borough Council.
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