In the 1960s, inquiries into human existence andmortality captivated architects and artists worldwide. Among them, Hans Holleinexplored the origin and destiny of human beings and architecture through twoexhibitions dedicated to the themes of life and death. This articledemonstrates Hollein’s endeavors to engage with human and non-human finalmoments, transforming exhibitions, museums, and architecture into mediafor staging the intertwined cycle of life and death.It highlights Hollein’s view of death as an inevitable, but not final, stage oflife: buildings left in ruins or memories of constructions now lost can bereactivated to produce new forms of design, perpetuating a timeless dimensionof architecture grounded in its cultic and funeraryorigin. Finally, the article unveils how sacredaspects complemented twentieth-century scientific and vitalist approachesto human life, architecture, and curatorial practice,offering insights into the relation amongarchitecture, psychoanalysis, media studies and artistic experiments.