B E L - G R A V E R E M E M B R A N C E A
C E M E T E R Y
F R O M A N A G E O F U N C E R T A I N T Y
Ko Jia Mei Studio6
Special thanks to Katrina Simon & friends @ A Cemetery from an Age of Uncertainty
T H O U G H T P R O C E S S
A Cemetery from an Age of Uncertainty
A Cemetery of The Future
positive impact on environment in long run
not eerie, scary, cold, grey
My thought process before choosing which precedent studies I would want to influence my work.
still preserves historical values
P R E C E D E N T S T U D I E S Firstly, I looked at precedent studies of cemeteries to understand the western culture of death. These were what inspired me to select my landscape system.
P1. ACA D I A R E M E M BR A N C E SA NC TUA RY The project is a bushlabd cemetery. It consists of natural graves without headstones, using GPS to locate loved ones. Instead of owning individual plots of land and headstones, the cemetery aim to protect the bushland. The buildings within the cemetery uses renewable energy. With climate change now being the main concern, I look at planting trees as a tactic for my design. I feel that cemetery takes up lots of land and I can learn from this project to give back to nature when we die.
P2. C A PS U L A M U N D I Capsula Mundi aims to alter the way we think about death. It aims to re-create the cold grey graveyard into a woodlands. The project offers two types of biodegradeable pods: small pod for ashes while large pods is for the deceased. The pod is planted and offers nutrients to the tree. Family members care for the tree in memory of the deceased. This project emphasises on the metaphor of life and death, and I find it interesting that the life of plants can be related to death, I decide to adopt this in my design.
P3. NE PTU N E M E M O R I AL R E E F Similarly to Capsula Mundi, Neptune Memorial Reef memorialize a deceased by turning the ashes into something that supports life. In Neptune Memorial Reef, it is used to support the coral underwater, and the loved ones of the deceased have to dive underwater to visit the deceased. The layout of the memorial is inspired by the Lost City of Atlantis, fitting the overall theme of underwater world. The theme of life and death is something I wish to instill in my project, changing the eerie idea of death into something more positive.
P4. SYLVA N CO N ST E L L AT I O N DeathLAB’s proposed project at Arnos Vale Cemetery is a great example of recreating the image of a cemetery. One of the feature includes using human biomass to generate a constellation that illuminate paths throughout the woodlands cemetery, creating a whimsical atmosphere. Instead of headstone representing the grave, a single light powered by the biomass is the form of memoralisation.
A D D R E S S I N G C L I M A T E C H A N G E The current cemetery is not environmentally friendly and takes up lots of spaces. The following shows the study between traditional burial, cremation and other eco-friendly alternatives for the cemetery of the future.
T R A D I T I O N A L
M E T H O D S
The traditional methods shows that there are lots of chemical used in them which may cause soil and groundwater contamination. Cremation, even though cheaper, emits carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. These are damaging to the environment in the long run.
L A N D S C A P E S Y S T E M & U R B A N P E R I P H E R Y After looking at precedent studies, I decided to use vegetation as my landscape system as I want to eliminate the eerie, lifeless vibe of cemetery and turn it into a living memory for the deceased’s loved ones. Vegetation is a form of life and it is something that death can connect with. Thus the idea of “Circle of Life�.
V E G E T A T I O N M E L B O U R N E
I N
G R E A T E R
V E G E T A T I O N A R E A T R I S K 01. PLANNING MELBOURNE: LESSONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE CITY In the chapter Protecting Melbourne’s green belt and peri-urban area, Buxton, Goodman and Moloney suggested that it is important to preserve the green spaces for the health of residents. The urban growth corridorgreen wedge principle was adopted in 1971, its purpose was to protect the rural areas and green belt from urbanisation. However, the government failed to ahere to it, and urbanisation continue to develop rapidly due to population increase in the years to come.
S I T E
V I S I T :
M E L B O U R N E G E N E R A L C E M E T E R Y
S I T E
P H O T O S
When at the cemetery, I looked out for vegetation as it is the landscape system I chose to look at. I realised that there are plants growing at unexpected places, most of them are out of cracks. From there I decided to use cracks/fissure as my design generator.
site photos
D E S I G N G E N E R A T O R
I made some material testing to see how cracks are formed. I used air dry clay as they dry quickly and form cracks easily.
D E S I G N
V E R B S
From the material testing, I discovered how cracks were formed and I decided to use these in analysing my site and design framework.
pressure
fluidity
splitting
merging
S E L E C T I N G S I T E : B E L G R A V E ,
V I C
G R E E N
V S
G R E Y
I went around my neighborhood to look at similar phenomena and documented, studied and sketched them. I look at how the relationship of green at grey at a small scale can be applied at a bigger scale.
periphery
Sketching out the pictures from green vs grey. The fissures look like networks.
potential sites
urban areas
agricultural land
Belgrave is a hilly site with many vegetation as it is near Dandenong Ranges, a protected site. It also sits at the edge of the urban periphery. There may or may not be further extension of the urban periphery due to population growth. My proposed cemetery could act as a way of introducing more vegetation into the urban areas or could be used as a protection for the landscape system.
I was especially drawn to this picture. There is harmony, at the same time conflict. The green and the grey is co-existing, but at any time, the wood chips or grass will conquer the other. There is the uncertainty of the urban and vegetation’s future presented in this picture.
periphery
both sides shifting into each other
cemetery to act as protection from shifting
Belgrave vegetation density
Selby G190 Bushland Reserve
D E S I G N D E V E L O P M E N T - m a c r o
D E S I G N G E N E R A T O R M A C R O S C A L E
Belgrave scale
O N
site analysis - urban vs vegetation
D E S I G N G E N E R A T O R M I C R O S C A L E
O N
placing design generator on the site plan
drawing on model and divide space
publ i c t rans po r t
m ove m e nt o f / bet we e n s pac e s
pro g ram m e s grave t ypo l o g i e s
c i rc ul at i o n f l ow
hydro l o g y
to po g ra phy
V E G E T A T I O N
un c e rta i n f uture o f si te
hi g hl i ghte d a re a s a re pa r ks a nd re se r ve
T he Ce rta i n
&
U R B A N
urba n a rea - mo st huma n traff i c
devel o pment i n urba n a rea
T he U ncerta i n
200m
bus sto p
natura l bu r i a l humans acti vi ti e s concentrat i on e ntra nce a s he s ur n
carpark cre m ator i um
m e m o r i al s
qui ete r pl ac e
B U R I A L
O N
S I T E
a s hes buri a l
existi ng tree buri a l
V I C bur ial standards
imagining the spaces of cemetery lateral tree growth framing views in cemetery
Topography model of the site built in clay. This was to see the levels in the area.
I broke it into pieces to test the cracks to make a pathway.
Z O O M
I N
I thought of how I could incorporate more of the chosen landscape system into my design. Currently, I feel that they are both very detached from each other. I wish to make use of the landscape system to create a valueadded cemetery of a different experience at a human scale.
L A N D S C A P E S Y S T E M A N A L Y S I S
Deeper research of the site uncovers a very important character in the Belgrave community- the platypus. There are many articles talking about how conservation groups have been dilligently helping to protect the platypus, improving the environment to help create a better habitat for these critters. The platypus population is at risk due to erosion, urbanisation and litter.
As the cemetery’s role is to protect the woodlands and become the identity of Belgrave, it could also protect and help the platypus in the area. The threats the playtpuses face become the issues of the site that the cemetery will try to tackle to make it a more valueadded design.
The bioregion map of Victoria shows that Belgrave is in the Gippsland Plain. In this area, it is very hilly and has a high rainfall and made up of majority damp woodland. Perhaps the erosion problem is caused by the hilly topography and frequent surface runoff. From there, I looked at the EVC and into how I could help solve the playtpus declination problem.
Belgrave is a very hilly suburb. The woodlands in it and the surrounding areas are majority damp forests EVC, which results in network of creeks in the area and also support a rich wildlife. Monbulk Creek flows throughout Belgrave, connecting to the largest water body which is located in Belgrave Lake Park, not far away from site. It also flows into the heart of the proposed site, making it a safe wildlife haven that is isolated from the surrounding urbanisation.
B I O D I V E R S I T Y
D I S T R I B U T I O N
Distribution of biodiversity in the forest layers. These are some of the many species that are part of the EVC and Belgrave’s wildlife.
D E S I G N D E V E L O P M E N T - m i c r o
B R A I N S T O R M I N G A map of what I considered when designing at smaller scale. Mainly the continuation of design verbs through scale, programmes and integration of proposed design into the site.
Early design iterations of entire site
Design verbs
These are few of the different experiences and types of burial I thought of while designing. Because my generator is a crack, I wish to use crack as a pathway that people walk beside death along the crack. It could be the division between life and death.
Shibboleth. Doris Salcedo
Vietnam War Memorial. Maya Lin
Less is more is evident in these two precedent studies. Both projects uses line as the key driver of the design. In Shibboleth, Doris talks about the divide between the people, and hopes to unite people through his art. Vietnam War Memorial is described as a knife cutting into the earth. Both designs used line to represent a scar, etched deep in the earth. Although both design shows the splitting in spaces, they both actually wish to merge people, regardless of ideologies, through their works.
Final detailed sketches of the experience throught the proposed design
Model sketches. I did not manage to finish in time because the workshop stopped me from cutting 9mm plywood..............
A R C H I T E C T U R E
Iterations of the visitors center/ buildings in the proposed site. As I wish to use the building to represent the “pressure point� of the design, I experimented with circle and from there drew how cracks will look like with the circle. Cracks form fragments and the idea was to have fragments of spaces through the human activities area.
The highlight of the design is the reflecting pool. I would like to use the it to emphasise on the surrounding, as the skylight falls onto the reflecting pool they see the reflection of the woodland. It represents life and serenity. To integrate the design into its surroundings, I wish to use lateral pillars to mimic the trunks of the gum trees.
P R E C E D E N T
To keep my design grounded, I have often referred to Upper Yarra Public Cemetery’s methods of maintenance. It is a Victorian cemetery that offers natural burial. Upper Yarra Public Cemetery is against planting trees and placing anything else other than fresh flowers, because they do not wish to disturb the environment. By planting other trees in memory of a loved one will alter the existing ecosystem. I decided to do the same for the proposal.
F I N A L D E S I G N B E L - G R A V E S R E M E M B R A N C E
S I T E
P L A N
1st Year
10th Year
20th Year
30th Year
40th Year
50th Year
Over time, the Remembrance Walk will be filled up with Belgrave residents and it is a timeline and a memorial of those who has passed on in the community
The 6 sections shows the key experiential journey when users walk through the site. This was refined from the many sections I sketched earlier in the semester.
The layers showing the burials area, the park features, the water basin area and the topography.t
K E Y
P R O G R A M S
1. Visitors Center/ Gathering Area The reflecting pool in the courtyard surrounded by exisiting vegetation
2. Monbulk Bridge Monbulk Bridge uses broken logs and branches from nearby as a dam to stop debris from flowing and collecting in the basin area.
3. The Memorial Link Memorial Link is an area dedicated to Belgrave residents whose family has passed on or are unable to pay the maintanence fee. A stone is used to represent each individual and they can be from elsewhere or the bushland.
4. Remembrance Walk Remembrance Walk is an ash burial site, where the ashes of a Belgrave resident is buried behind the retaining wall. It acts as a timeline of the passing of a part of the Belgrave community, eventually becoming a memorial.
5. Family Plot The Family Burial Plot is for Belgrave residents who wish to be buried with their loved ones. It is a small enclosed area that allows private mourning.
6. Belgrave Lawn Burial Belgrave Lawn is an area for natural burial. Each headstones are retaining walls that stops the area from further erosion into the basin area.
BI BLI OGRAPHY 01.
https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/ documents/20143/202133/FireEcologyGuide_ Final_web.pdf/7cedddf1-cf36-0356-2a526af401cdcb6f (p. 18)
02.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ ap-art-history/global-contemporary/v/mayalinvietnamvetmem
03.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth_ (artwork)
04.
https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/ documents/20143/202133/FireEcologyGuide_ Final_web.pdf/7cedddf1-cf36-0356-2a526af401cdcb6f
05.
https://www.sdlg.org.au/groups/friendsmonbulk-creek-belgrave-lake-park-group-0
06.
https://rangestrader.mailcommunity.com.au/ news/2019-03-15/protecting-our-platypus/
07.
https://www.uypct.org.au/areas/little-yarra
08.
https://www.foreground.com.au/environment/ urban-burial-cemetery-landscapes/
09.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ leader/outer-east/belgrave-platypusfestival-promotes-a-healthyenvironment-in-the-hills/news-story/ b66ecc62fb0e2017942dd6976b4d4e5b https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/ shibboleth-i-iv/HAFAUeDJ-Fon5g?hl=enGB
THE END.