Mancini Electric Crematorium- Architectural Case Study

Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

CASE STUDY Mancini Electric Crematorium Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

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Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

VIDEH - CREMATORIUM New Chandigarh A DESIGN THESIS

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE By Sukhmani Kaur 2013ARA077 Under the Guidance of Dr. Sandeep Dua Ar. Ranbir Kaur

GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY AMRITSAR MAY 2018

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Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

The following document is a part of the author’s B.Arch thesis project.

Analysis is purely her work.

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Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

Electric Crematorium Mancini Architects Project Name: GKD Crematorium Location: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Architect: Niels Schoenfelder Client: GKD Charity Trust Site Area: 4856sqm (1.2 Acres) Opening Year:2011 [Source : Wikipedia.com] [Fig:4.1] Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India

About the city Coimbatore is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. It is the second largest city (by area and population) in the state. It is often referred to as the “Manchester of South India” due to its cotton production and textile industries.

[Source : mapofindia.com] [Fig:4.2] City of Coimbatore

Climate Coimbatore has a pleasant climate due to the presence of forests to the north and the cool winds blowing through the Palghat gap in the Western Ghats.Under the Köppen climate classification, the city has a tropical wet and dry climate, with the wet season -October to December due to the northeast monsoon.

The mean maximum temperature - 35.9 °C to 29.2 °C The mean minimum temperature - 24.5 °C to 19.8 °C [Source : Wikipedia.com]

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Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

Site Surroundings The crematorium is located in a highly dense area of Coimbatore. Its approach is from NH-948 (100Feet Rd). On one side is a slum and on the other is New Siddhapur post office. It seems to be enveloped in a lot of foliage around it, from the approach road. There is a dumping space that has been created outside the crematorium which is an ugly site.

Road Post Office Dumping Site Slum

[Fig:5.1] Color Coded Site Surroundings.

[Source:Google Maps]

Site Plan With maximum green area, the built up seems to be enveloped in the landscape.

There are raised landscape gardens, pavilions as a part of landscape. Sense of dierection is very well kept in mind while designing this building.

Crematoriums all around the country are characterless sheds. This project dignifies the last moments of meeting the person whom one will never see again. Here an otherwise heavy and brutal material such as concrete is made delicate and porous to bring down the scale and play with light, creating moments of silence and contemplation.�

[Source : https://whenisspace.in/walkthrough/] [Fig:5.2] Wooden Model of the crematorium, displayed in an exhibition (whenisspace)

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Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh [Source : Mancini Enterprise PVT LTD. ; Archdaily.com] [Fig:6.1] Site Plan Commercial Area

Dumping Space- No construction area due to a transformer

Slum and Industries

North

NH948

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LEGEND Administration Service and Storage Pavillion Ritual Pavillion Ante Space Electric Furnance Toilets Circulation Parking Raised Planters Landscape

Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

Site Area The Complex sits within a walled garden and is composed of two separate pavilion buildings together with courtyards, an administrative building, and smaller pavilion in which ashes and urns are kept.

[Fig:7.1] Pie chart showing Area divisions on site.

Toilets 80sq.m

Admin 55sq.m

Green Area 450sq.m

AnteSpace 100sq.m Furnace 150sq.m

Pavillions 340sq.m

Movement Entrance directly leads to both administration and the pavilion [Fig:7.2] . So the people coming, can place the body on the pedestal and the chief mourner can do the formalities in the meanwhile. After it, rituals are performed and body is put in the furnace which is on its backside.

[Fig:7.2] Circulation on Site in plan

[Fig:7.3] Circulation from approach road to the site

[Fig:7.4] Circulation within the site.

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Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

Administration Parking

Zoning The site is very well zoned according to the usage by both people and the management. Broadly, the left side of the site is for storage, services (like generators) and administration; right side is the crematorium and public conveniences.

Ritual Pavillion Storage Circulation

[Fig:8.1] Site Plan showing various zones of function.

[Source : Mancini Enterprise PVT LTD. ; Archdaily.com]

Waiting Area Inceneration Area Water Rituals

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Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

Ritual Pavilion It is a pavilion designed in concrete elements. Sitting space, ritual space is inbuilt.

There is a pedestal for the rituals which is designed keeping the water movement in mind . It has a skylight in the same proportions on the roof. Pavillion is a [Fig:9.5] multi-column and beam interlaced design.

[Fig:9.1] Two ritual pavilions are a major part of the design, where the ceremonial rituals are done.

[Fig:9.4] Section through the Pedestal showing the drainage system [Fig:9.2] Semi- Private interlocking design

[Fig:9.3] Ritual Pedestal with a skylight

[Fig:9.7] Elevation of the pedestal

[Fig:9.5] Pedestal in Plan

[Fig:9.6] Cut geometric view

[Fig:9.8] Section showing drain detail

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Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

Ante Space It is the transitionary space between the furnace and the pavilion. People stay in this space while the management pushes the body in the furnace.

[Ante Space- An antechamber is a smaller room or vestibule serving as an entryway into a larger one. From latin-ante camera, meaning “room before�.]

[Fig:10.1] Ante Space, is a space similar to a comittal room

[Fig:10.2] View of the pavilion from the ante-space

[Fig:10.3] View of the electric furnace from the ante-space

Administration The administration is the only two-storey building in the complex. The ground floor has office and urn store. On the upper floor, there is a conference room. Filling up of forms is done here an hour before the cremation. There are 8-10 employees which take care of the entire crematorium.

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[Fig:10.4] Double storey building

[Fig:10.5] Ash storage inside the administration

Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

Electric Furnace A standard Electric furnace is placed. There is a manual pushing set up in-built in the floor. Above this is a skylight with an exhaust fan for the release of the heat. The setup is like an electric oven, body is burnt by passing electricity through solenoid kind element.

[Fig:11.1] Electric Furnace

Basement

Exhaust fan

The entire working system is set up in the basement of the electric furnace. The grey and white smoke are treated and thrown out from the 105ft chimney. Ashes are also collected in the basement.

Partition

5M

5M

[Fig:11.2] Section through Electric Furnace

[Fig:11.5] Pipe distribution for chimney above [Fig:11.3] Hydralic pushing system

[Fig:11.4] Skylight with an exhaust for heat release

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Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

Materials of Construction Majorly the construction is of concrete.

Concrete members are inter connected in an alternate design to give a semi-open space. Pedestals are of granite stone finish. For rain water collection, chains are hung which lead the water to the water system all around the building.

[Fig:12.1] Chains for rainwater

Activity Mapping

[Fig:12.2] Interlocking

Half an hour before the cremation, the filled which requires a death certificate (or post mortem report), Adhar Card Copy and Information ID. Friends/ Family accompany the dead Body is taken to the crematorium pavilion and placed on pedestal.

Everyone pays homage and rituals are performed. “Om� mantra is played by the management, which creates an environment of respect The body is taken to the Electric furnace via the antespace.

Body is put in the furnace by the management Everybody Departs Ashes are collected the next day or the day after to also perform food offering ritual.

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Design Thesis: Crematorium , New Chandigarh

Inferences -Working Hours- 10 am to 5 pm. Hence maximum 8 bodies can be cremated in a day with a slot of 1 hour to each.

-Charity trust, therefore 70% earnings go to the municipal corporation and 30% to the trust.

-Cost Breakdown: A.C Van 750/Ordinary Van 600/Freezer Box 1600/-Staff: 3Security Guard, 1 Office Incharge, 1 Electrician, 1 Sweeper, 1Driver: No separate cabins.

-After the cremation, on the second day, food offering ritual is done which has no assigned space hence done on the boundary wall.

-People request for more seating space, but the administration does not believe in providing so as it is a place to pay respect.

-Coimbatore has 18-19 Electric crematoriums, hence indicating a preference.

-Initially, when it was built there was no construction nearby but with time slums start to develop. The current situation is people living around blame the crematorium for smell and pollution.

Design Interpretation The design looks like it is inspired from interlocking of fingers, symbolising connection between the two worlds.

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