UP's Liam Ullrich selected regional winner in 34th Corobrik architectural awards

Liam Ullrich, regional winner, 34th Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Awards

Burial spaces within the city of Pretoria have become inert, fenced-off islands – restricting death rituals and their intrinsic value to society, according to Ullrich. He hopes that his project informs a wider audience of the severe impact of urban burial issues within major South African cities. Burial rituals and grieving are an intrinsic component of our humanity, and burial spaces have been increasingly removed from South African inner-city districts. The project attempts to reintroduce burial rituals into the inner city of Pretoria with the intervention of a public commemorative burial space.

Ullrich explains that Klompie brick floor paving is featured in the entrance hall of the Old Pretoria Railway Station. Responding to this contextual material, the use of narrow Corobrik Piazza Pavers in the same herringbone pattern means that the internal flooring continues a material dialogue with the historic brickwork.

Heterotopic Burial Spaces by Liam Ullrich

Diagnosed with colon disease at the start of his first-year studies, Liam adds that this has given him a new appreciation for the ephemerality of life, and an approach to design spaces that promote cathartic healing. “Through the act of making and designing space, I hope to create spaces that have the potential to provide solace for displaced individuals within the city,” Ullrich highlights.

Heterotopic Burial Spaces by Liam Ullrich

The Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Awards selects regional winners from eight major universities, based on the students’ final theses. These regional winners then go through to the national round, where the top title is awarded, in addition to a R70,000 grand prize.

The National Corobrik Student of the Year Awards ceremony that will take place virtually in May.