Architecture of Afterlife: Future Cemetery in Metropolis

Abstract

Do you believe soul never dies? Do you believe in afterlife? Think but do not answer.

How do you remember a loved one who passed away? How would you like to remember a loved one who has passed away? Think but do not answer.

Life and Death presents an eternal topic for human beings to study. Cemeteries, human being’s last stop and final dwellings, is the primary type of funerary architecture.

Contemporary Cemetery is facing a severe challenge, namely the shortage of burial space, especially in Metropolis such as London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and etc. This severe dearth of permanent burial grounds, coupled with the high cost of rental ash holding agencies has struck a near fatal blow to the contemporary cemetery development. In my opinion, the options for future cemeteries are either change, shrink or disappear.

This doctor dissertation will mainly discuss the major problems of the conventional and contemporary cemetery and use the latest relevance case studies to explore and propose design guidelines for future cemetery design. The design research chapter will show an example of how to apply these guidelines into the architecture project in order to make the future cemetery carry on the culture and spirit aspect along with innovative technologies.