DELA’s crematorium in Heeze has reopened its doors. Brabant’s oldest crematorium underwent a major refurbishment over the past eight months.
Heezervenne cremation centre on Somerenseweg has undergone major renovations, both inside and outside. The feeling that the building’s location in the middle of the woods gives has now been enhanced, site manager, Veronique van Kruijssen, thinks. “One of our goals was to bring the outside in more. We succeeded”.
As of now, the auditorium has a large three-by-seven-metres window. According to Van Kruijssen, it is good for people saying goodbye to a loved one that they get a sense of the outside. “Green gives comfort and peace, which is important when saying goodbye to a loved one”.
Sustainable materials
When Heezervenne opened in 1976, it was decided to make the building fully sustainable so that it would be ready for 50 years. Some of the 1970s elements, such as the grey stone and wooden undulating ceiling in the auditorium, have still been retained after the refurbishment. The crematorium is now better insulated and completely natural gas-free, equipped with an electric cremation oven, solar panels and a heat pump.
Art
The renovated Heezervenne has 25 additional works of art. According to DELA, it is important that each work of art evokes a certain atmosphere in the visitor that is appropriate for where the person is at that moment. “In the living room, for example, there is a work that offers comfort when the farewell of a loved one takes place there. And in the brasserie, there is work that can help get the conversation going, as a kind of icebreaker. Art makes people feel reassured through the environment”. The very first artwork on display in the crematorium, a 1976 mosaic wall by Japanese artist Yasse Tubachi, has been retained.
History
The Mayor of Heeze-Leende Teun Helders attended the opening. He likes the fact that the function of Heezervenne has not changed after 50 years. “In the 1970s, cremation may still have been somewhat controversial in the catholic south, but even then this place offered comfort and space for many families to arrange a dignified farewell”. Actually, the only thing that has changed is the name, he adds: “The name refers to one of the old hamlets in Heeze from 1416: ‘De Ven’ (fen). De Ven was a hamlet with three streets with a few farms. Back then, the name of this hamlet was described as Heezervenne”.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
