The building is a symmetrical copy of a structure put up in 2003. Its exterior, which faces the countryside, has been designed as a white parallelepiped; in contrast, inside the extension, there is an elongated courtyard, which terminates vertically in a high loggia. This feature is a distinctive element, reflecting the central chapel of the old cemetery.

The courtyard is made up of a portico with a three metre overhanging roof and a slightly raised floor area. These elements define the perimeter of the courtyard, marking off the garden and counter-balancing the sky.

Two small annexes have been attached to the courtyard. The first helps to separate the building from the old cemetery – but it also opens onto the family chapels. The second houses a water mirror. In this part of the cemetery, a system of iron beams throws a textured shadow onto the water and the lower walls.

The materials and colours have been kept to a minimum: against the green of the grass, the floors and walls that house the spaces for the coffins and urns have been built from botticino marble. Ipè wood has been used for the large loggia and the threshold of the courtyard, plaster for the overhanging roof. There is also the enigmatic presence of two trees: a large olive in the big courtyard, and a peach in the wood-lined section.

The modern classicism of the design aims to promote a sense of stillness and the feeling that time has been suspended within its walls. Camillo Botticini

Bagnolo Mella Cemetery, Brescia
Architect: Camillo Botticini, abdarchitetti
Structural engineering: Franco Palmieri
Design: 2007
Construction: 2008 - 2009