Located on the Helmholtz square in the Ehrenfeld district of Cologne, in 1959 St. Bartholomew’s was inaugurated as the parish church. 55 years later, in the course of which it has been listed as the monument and historic building preservation order, this consecrated landmark has now been classified to functioning as a columbarium. Designed according to the functional blueprints by the Wiesbaden Architect Peter Kissler, space has been split onto two levels. The Chapel has been kept to the centre, surrounded by the actual burial vaults arranged in a geometrical concentration of recesses offering a final resting place for 2400 urns.
The challenge posed by St. Bartholomew’s was to be able to preserve the chapel section and the burial vault section as a whole, whilst also maintaining them as two individually functioning units. In order to achieve this effect, the Architect had an alphamesh 12.0 bronze curtain system installed to surround the Chapel section, providing a play of air permeability and light transparency achievable only with a membrane composed of several million bronze rings. Supported by special lighting technology over the total area amounting to 250 m², the 7-metre high bronze curtain system does the trick perfectly. Luminescent bars are fitted both internally and externally to the upper edge of the ring mesh so that it is dipped from top to bottom in a golden light. During church services the external light bars are switched off, lighting up the interior of the chapel and preventing outward views. In the daytime, only the outer light bars are kept on, with the bronze curtain maintaining the dignity of the chapel enclosed in a softly glowing bronze haze.

Project: Columbarium, Cologne | Country: Germany | Architect / Design: Peter Kissler, Wiesbaden | Photocredits: Dietmar Strauß, Besigheim | Material: alphamesh 12.0 bronze polished | Quantity: approx. 250 m²