Earlier this year, the St Thomas More Church community in Bateman celebrated the blessing and opening of their new Columbarium – a sacred resting place for the ashes of the deceased.
Designed by architect Simon Pendal, the Columbarium was recently awarded the Iwan Iwanoff Award in the Small Project Architecture category of the 2026 WA Architecture Awards.
Highly symbolic, the columbarium comprises three limestone towers that are open to the sky and linked by tear-drop shaped paving. Each tower is octagonal in shape to reflect the shape of the baptismal font within the church.
A pentagonal-shaped seat fashioned from the trunk of a Spotted Gum tree sits at the centre of each columbarium tower.
Recessed niches within each tower will contain cremated remains and it is intended the columbarium will be available to parishioners, their families and those with a meaningful connection to the parish.
In announcing the award, the WA Architecture Awards judging panel described the Columbarium as an “almost perfect expression of architecture.”
“The Columbarium demonstrates a complete creative endeavour. A wide breadth of invention is executed by Simon Pendal Architect, whilst rigorous research and an understanding of historical precedents ensured a culturally relevant response.
“Coupling this research with a sensitive understanding of the project’s specific circumstances enabled the design to extend beyond the expectations of the client.
“The result is a sublime arrangement of absolute forms that offer a divine experience to the living and those who have passed,” they added.
In the publication Architect Australia, Stuart Vokes architect and co-founder of Vokes and Peters provides a thoughtful overview of the project.
Read the full article here: St Thomas More Columbarium by Simon Pendal Architect | ArchitectureAu
