Losing a friend or loved one is an exceptional moment—one marked by grief, pain, and sometimes helplessness. During such times, saying goodbye with dignity requires a protected space. This is why funeral halls traditionally turn inward, creating sanctuary from the outside world. The funeral hall in Zeilsheim is no exception. HGP Architekten has comprehensively modernised the 1961 courtyard complex for Frankfurt's Parks Department, carefully preserving its original character while bringing it into the present.

Because the entire complex is heritage-protected, the architects worked closely with the local heritage authority throughout the restoration and the redesign of the adjoining building. Extensive colour analyses from the original construction period guided their colour decisions. For the interior, however, they chose a lighter palette in consultation with heritage specialists—a deliberate move to brighten the atmosphere. This achieves two things at once: it enhances the spatial journey itself—from arrival in the courtyard, through the narrow doorway between massive red walls, from the shadowed gallery space into the luminous, colour-tinted hall, and finally out toward the cemetery. And it allows the artistic stained glass window that spans the entire back wall to shine with renewed brilliance, its colours now fully alive against the lighter wood veneers and crisp white acoustic ceiling. Restoring this gem required careful work: the severely damaged window was removed, re-grouted, partially decontaminated, and reinstalled. Fourteen new oak benches with integrated heating replace the old fixtures and radiators, treated with a soft glaze that harmonises with the refined atmosphere. The gallery and organ were also restored and repainted.

"The real challenge was downsizing the existing buildings to meet today's needs while preserving the spatial integrity of the whole," explains Volker Kilian of HGP Architects. In close partnership with landscape architects Exedra from Wiesbaden, they introduced landscape design elements to redefine the courtyard experience. The result: a new wing that provides space for mourners, with fresh spatial boundaries created through walls, hedges, and seating areas.

www.hgp-architekten.de
www.exedra-web.de

Photography Credits:

Thomas Ott
www.o2t.de

(Published in CUBE Frankfurt 02|22)