Urna, 2008

URNA (2008) was a groundbreaking concept that rethinks an essential part of the funeral industry by creating a new way of making funeral urns that reflect the deceased’s unique personality. Traditional urns are often seen as kitschy buckets lacking personalization or meaning. With URNA, this changes completely.


URNA uses a meta-design workflow that considers the deceased’s personality traits, using Eysenck’s cross, age, goodness, and rationality model. The process starts with an easy-to-use application that allows the dying person or their surviving relatives to enter crucial personal information. Based on logical rules, the entered values generate a 3D urn model, which is then exported into a .DXF file.


The customer edited the 3D model file directly via the UI of the website and created the order for all the necessary materials to complete the urn. The shipment delivered to the client includes all the required documentation and instructions, as well as the laser-created forms and polyurethane for cast molding. The client can then create the urn by simply putting together the form by folding the provided flat folding scheme and making the cast molding of the polyurethane. The remains are placed directly into the material, available in different colors.


What sets URNA apart from traditional urns is its unique and personalized way of honoring the deceased. Each urn is a reflection of the unique characteristics of the individual, making it a one-of-a-kind design. This makes the funeral process more meaningful for loved ones and helps preserve the deceased’s memory.

The URNA concept significantly differs from the traditional approach to designing funeral urns. By providing a unique and personalized way of honoring the deceased, URNA has set a new standard in the funeral industry, allowing individuals to create a lasting tribute to their loved ones. And that’s why the project got the attention of an expert in the field. In fact, URNA was featured in a publication titled “Personal urn as a kit” (Persoonlijke urn als bouwpakket) in 2009, published in UitvaartMedia, an independent media for funeral professionals in the Netherlands and Belgium. This publication helped to bring URNA to the attention of a wider audience, and its innovative approach to funeral urns has continued to gain recognition in the years since.

URNA at 22PRESENTS showroom, Prague, 2011