Fraga do Alén by laND30

The “Fraga do Alén” project arises from the need to expand and transform the Municipal Cemetery of Rómea, in Lalín, into a space where memory and nature intertwine without barriers. Beyond addressing the demand for new burials, this intervention redefines the relationship between the cemetery and its surroundings, turning it into an open and permeable place, where landscape and architecture merge in a constant dialogue with the passage of time.

Until now, the cemetery remained enclosed, bordered by a perimeter wall and conifer hedges that isolated it from its environment. The proposal breaks these visual and physical boundaries, allowing the adjacent forest to extend into the grounds and transform it into a continuous landscape. Remembrance is no longer confined to a closed space; instead, it unfolds along paths, forest clearings, and contemplative spaces, where nature accompanies mourning with its own rhythm of life.

Spread across an area of 32,000 square meters, the project respects the native vegetation and strengthens it with new plantings. Gathering spaces are created around existing trees—places where silence takes on a tangible dimension. The cemetery’s layout is redefined, combining the original path with winding trails that invite a slower, more reflective stroll, in harmony with the natural character of the surroundings. This new network of paths connects to the rural fabric and promotes alternative mobility, incorporating gentle access points that eliminate traditional architectural barriers.

The intervention embraces an architecture that respects and enhances ecological balance. The pavements are fully permeable, allowing for natural water infiltration and preventing soil erosion. Energy self-sufficiency is ensured through solar panels that provide the power required for the cemetery’s facilities, reducing its environmental footprint. Every design decision seeks to integrate the cemetery into the natural cycle of the landscape, ensuring that its transformation over time is organic and gradual.

At the heart of the memorial park, a stage-lake honors Xela Arias, creating a space where memory and culture converge. More than just a landscape element, the water reflects the sky, the trees, and time itself—becoming a focal point where poetry, music, and remembrance resonate in tune with the environment. Surrounding it, spaces for gathering and contemplation reinforce the idea of a cemetery that not only safeguards the past but also embraces life in all its forms.

The cemetery’s original layout is preserved, but reinterpreted with new elements that engage with the landscape. The blocks of burial niches, conceived as prefabricated modules, are dispersed among the trees, avoiding major earthworks and respecting the natural topography. This arrangement allows the forest and the cemetery to coexist without one imposing upon the other, enabling time and nature to weave them into a shared continuity.

The access to the cemetery is also reimagined, offering different ways of moving through the space. The main entrance retains its solemnity, designed for ceremonies and funeral processions, while a more organic access through the forest provides a different way to inhabit the space—a walk where remembrance intertwines with the breeze and the shade of the trees. Along the route, a sculpture commemorates the victims of gender-based violence—a gesture of memory and justice that reinforces the project’s inclusive and symbolic character.

The chapel, a central element of the cemetery, is clad in a new corten steel skin—a material that ages over time and, with its oxidized patina, symbolizes the transformation of matter and the passing of years.

Fraga do Alén is not merely an expanded cemetery, but a vision for the future—a model of intervention that redefines the bond between funerary architecture and the land. Here, memory is not enclosed within tombstones or walls; it flows with the air, the reflection of the water, and the whisper of the trees. In this place, nature and remembrance embrace within the same landscape—a space open to time and to life.

• Architecture offices involved in the design:
Promove Arquitectura

• Other credits:
Structural Calculations: Refuerza Ingeniería Técnica
Installations: Magaral Instalaciones
Photography: Iván Casal Nieto
Lighting: Sonepar
Infographics: Carlos León

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