SOUTH DAKOTA VETERANS CEMETERY Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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Administration Maintenance Building
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VISITOR INFORMATION
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Project Overview. The South Dakota Veterans Cemetery is the first federally funded, state-owned and operated, veterans cemetery in South Dakota. This 60-acre property offers a picturesque setting in northereastern Sioux Falls, conveniently located along Interstate 90. The cemetery will serve veterans throughout the state and around the country, as there is no state residency requirement to be interred in the cemetery. Ultimately, it will provide spaces for over 28,000 burials. Phases I-IV were completed in 2021, with phases V-XII to be completed over time. The site plan on the next page shows the entire master plan for the project.
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South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
Shape. The stripped-down massing and limited material palette of the combined Administration/Maintenance Building and Committal Service Shelter reflects the vernacular, largely agricultural, architecture of South Dakota. The Administration/Maintenance massing is an L-shaped combination of traditional gable forms, and the shelter is a clean gable roof. The simplicity of layout and detailing in these structures allows the materiality to become the primary feature of the architecture.
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
Materials. The dominant material as visitors approach is Sioux Quartzite, one of the hardest stones in the world and unique to this region. While expensive to quarry and finish, the stone is impervious to almost any abuse and will last for centuries with only minimal care. The longevity, durability and quality of this rock reflects the noble and enduring purpose of this cemetery. Quartzite use is continued in the cemetery signage, columbaria, and other landscape features to establish a visual consistency across the grounds and reinforce a lasting experience for all visitors.
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Cemetery Grants Program | Space Program Standards NSF Cemetery Type Annual Burials Employees
Large
Medium
Small
Rural
750-1,000
200-749
51-199
1-50
9-11
5-8
2-4
1
Space Administration/Visitors Entry Vestibule
150
114
90
-
Lobby
215
-
-
-
Kiosk
25
25
25
-
Men’s Public Toilet
115
115
-
-
Women’s Public Toilet
115
115
-
-
Unisex Toilet
-
-
52
-
Family Toilet
52
52
52
-
Waiting Room (4-6 persons)
155
215
160
-
Reception/Cemetery Rep.
150
120
56
-
Closet
10
10
10
-
Operations (files, office equip.)
150
100
15
-
Director’s Office
150
150
165
-
Conference Room
165
165
-
-
Mechanical/Electrical
95
95
95
-
1,547
1,276
720
-
Subtotal
Maintenance/Operations Forman’s Office
125
100
90
-
Honor Guard (kitchenette, lockers, toilet)
260
260
236
-
Boots & Lockers
110
110
70
-
Closet
10
10
10
-
75
75
52
-
Wash Bay
Shower/Toilet
540
540
-
-
Service Bay
600
360
360
400
Parts & Tools Storage
150
100
80
-
Air Compressor
50
50
50
-
25
25
25
-
Vehicle & Equipment Storage
Flammable Storage Cabinet
1,100
720
360
-
Subtotal
3,045
2,350
1,333
400
Break Room
165
120
-
-
Janitor Closet
40
35
35
-
General*
Hall
90
90
80
-
Subtotal
295
245
115
-
* If the Administration and Maintenance Buildings are combined there will be one space shared space. If the buildings are separated there will be one space for each.
Design Challenge. The Veterans Administration provided a standard program for this medium-sized cemetery, and only allowed a 5% variation in any one space and a 1.18 net-to-gross factor. The functions of the Administration Building, Public Information Center, Public Restrooms and Maintenance Building were combined for maximum efficiency in both building cost and long-term staffing and operations cost. Rooms were arranged thoughtfully to function well, limit dedicated circulation, and support the design intent of very simple massing.
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
Administration Building. The building is located prominently on the entrance road, with enough distance from the main gate to allow for a large cortege to enter the cemetery without causing interference with highway traffic. Along with the entry signage, the Administration Building introduces the design language for the campus and relates to all other structures at the cemetery with the use of similar details and building materials. In addition to quartzite veneer, fiber-cement siding and vertical metal siding are used to recall traditional rural structures while being cost-effective and low-maintenance. The roofs are steeply pitched, standing seam metal systems common in farm buildings throughout the state. Building orientation and limited screening are used to hide the maintenance yard, equipment and utilities from public view.
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
4 3
1
2
WEST ELEVATION 1’ = 20’-0”
NORTH ELEVATION 1’ = 20’-0”
2 1 9
8 5
11
10
7
3
SOUTH ELEVATION 1’ = 20’-0”
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
4
EAST ELEVATION 1’ = 20’-0”
5
ADMINISTRATION BLDG. PLAN 1’ = 20’-0”
LOBBY / GRAVESITE KIOSK RECEPTION / WAITING MECHANICAL WORKROOM DIRECTOR’S OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM BREAK ROOM LOCKERS FOREMAN’S OFFICE SHOP WASH BAY
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6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
The facility houses the office, work and support areas for cemetery staff. The staff provides direct and indirect services to veterans, their families, and other cemetery visitors. Services include verification of eligibility, scheduling burial services, ordering headstones and markers, recording burial locations, budgeting, and human resource activities. The lobby is the public information portal for all cemetery activities, containing a cemetery map showing the burial areas, a kiosk grave locator and other visitor information about the cemetery along with cultural display information. Public restrooms are located off the lobby for use when the rest of the building is closed.
The Maintenance Area houses all the facilities supporting the interment operations and ground maintenance. In the area, cemetery employees perform workshop repairs, house cemetery equipment, maintain vehicles and equipment and store spare parts and tools. The maintenance area complex also contains a service yard. Additionally, the maintenance building includes shared employee facilities such as lockers, shower room, a break room and a foreman’s office.
An Honor Guard room for the military honors team is located between the Administration and Maintenance spaces, and doubles as the staff break room when not in use for services.
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
The Committal Service Shelter is the most important building structure on the site, providing an intimate semi-enclosed space for funeral services as gravesite ceremonies are rare at veterans’ cemeteries. The shelter is prominently located, on axis with the assembly area and memorial walk to double as a covered speaker’s dais for large public ceremonies. The axis continues from the assembly area through the shelter to the U.S. flag located at the apex of the site.
Committal Service Shelter South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
1
WEST ELEVATION 3/32” = 1’-0”
2
NORTH ELEVATION 3/32” = 1’-0”
1
2
3
1. STORAGE 2. BIER 3. SEATING
3
SOUTH ELEVATION 3/32” = 1’-0”
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
4
SHELTER PLAN 3/32” = 1’-0”
N
5 EAST ELEVATION 3/32” = 1’-0”
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
The structure provides space for the casket bier, visitor seating, Honor Guard presence, and protected storage. Due to the near-constant wind and inclement weather of South Dakota, the shelter is oriented northwest to use the storage building and surrounding grading as a windscreen. Fixed glass panels surround the storage building and clerestory space of the shelter for additional wind protection, with operable glass panels on either side that can be adjusted to suit daily conditions.
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs