Integration of Cemeteries with the Modern Urban Landscape at a Slight Distance From It - Research Paper Example

Death is as much a part of life as life itself is. Living people that are one day alive and full of life, related to countless people in countless ofways, might suddenly the next day be among them no more. As harsh a reality as that is however, the remaining living generally choose not to accept the finality of it. Most bereaved who lose a loved one wish to keep a part of them with themselves, by which to remember them and pay them the respects they deserved for the life they had lived. That is why there is not only one way of burying or disposing of the dead, but rather there are countless, each depending on what would give the mourners greatest closure and comfort over the departeds sudden absence, and how they can include a part of them in their own life. The places where these deceased are permanently homed and commemorated are therefore a kind of fusion between life and the afterlife. It is a place where the living can incorporate the sense of the dead into their lives, and the same for the inverse. Yet we find that cemeteries and crematoriums and other burial areas all have a sombre tone about them and a sort of morbidity. Even though we aim to incorporate them into our lives, we find that they are often in isolated locations, away from the hustle of life, and if they are in a centralized location, life tends to move away from it instead, driven by the grim aura surrounding it. But as time is progressing, perhaps so should this inconsistency. There is no reason why cemeteries should be away from modern life and society, and why they should be an area of grimness. Cemeteries can maintain their solitude and sanctity but in a way where they are integrated with our current lives and living areas, and that, in my view, is what the cemetery of the new century. But first, it is important to recognize why there needs to be a shift in the ideology behind a cemetery in a first place. The most basic and traditional type of cemetery is what is commonly known as a monumental cemetery. This is perhaps the most popular sort of burial ground in the west (Curl, 1980). In a monumental cemetery, graves are covered either by concrete, marble or granite, and distinctly marked by a headstone or monument. Individual graves can be surrounded by a boundary wall or a fence, as can be grouped graves belonging to family members. Because monumental ceremonies host graves from a variety of families and people, there generally isnt a common caretaker to personally care for individual graves. Cemetery authorities are responsible for the maintenance of the general graveyard, and may therefore trim or mow the grass between graves, or perform maintenance work the common boundary of the cemetery, there operations are often labor-intensive and without a personal caretaker, may cause the cemetery to go into slight decline. Monumental cemetery caretakers often face criticism over this as it is these reasons which give monumental cemeteries a traditionally sombre look. Furthermore, as the caretakers are not responsible for the maintenance of the headstones found on each grave, they too may become damaged over the years, and without maintenance may lead to the sombre and grim look of the cemetery. Lawn cemeteries are similar to monumental cemeteries but the difference being that instead of headstones, commemorative plates or plaques set in grass are used to denote individual graves. Graves too are on ground level and simply covered in grass. Most graves are therefore not customized and tend to follow the standard pattern set by each cemetery. Lawn cemeteries seemed easier to maintain, and generally are so too, but families placing flowers and other objects on graves tend to clutter the cemeteries. Another problem with lawn cemeteries is that over time grass may grow over the plaques covering the graves. Memorial parks are similar to lawn cemeteries except that the plaques on the grave are generally completely uniform and often the graves all have a certain common form of death, such as all being casualties of a war perhaps. Natural cemeteries are a more modern style of cemetery where graves are natural graves, or buried in the style of natural burial, often even without coffins. A tree or bush may be used to commemorate individual graves. The idea behind natural graves is rapid decomposition of bodies, leading to frequent reuse of individual graves. Natural cemeteries often have graves in a disorderly and random manner, based on the surrounding environment rather than fixes rows or patterns. As they are a relatively new style of cemetery, how families will accept the reuse of graves or lightly commemorated graves remains to be seen. Certain families may choose to cremate the bodies of the deceased rather than bury them. Cremation is the act of reducing dead bodies to ash or dust and thereby preserving these remains in a jar or an urn. Crematoriums and cremation were initially unpopular in the west (Grainger, 2005 ) but as time passed and their design changed to adapt to western thinking, they gained the same popularity that they had elsewhere in the world. To offer a place where people may come to pay their respects for these deceased, columbariums are structures that hold these cremated remains, and can be individual structure such as mausoleums or other free standing buildings, or they may be rooms built into churches or other such places. Furthermore, cemeteries are now also increasingly containing what is known as columbarium walls, which are walls dedicated to offer commemorative status to graves of cremated individuals. It allows families to have a permanently dedicated commemorative spot for their loved ones rather than keeping the jars or urns hosting the ashes in their houses. Columbarium walls are extremely space efficient and offer families the same personalization regular graves offer, such as having a space to place flowers and other commemorative items, as well has having plaques to denote the buried with. Columbarium walls also offer highly easy maintenance and therefore appear neat and clean at almost all times. It follows the of course the basic purpose of all cemeteries and crematoriums and other such structures is disposing of the body of the deceased, but naturally this could not be the only purpose of it, as many cultures and traditions dispose of their body without formal structures such as these. Consider for example, the Hindus who chose to cremate the bodies of their deceased on a pyre, and then drifting the ashes into the river Ganges, a place of holiness and respect for them. But people expect more than just a way of disposal for the dead. They wish to have a place where they will be forever remembered and registered, where even years after they have died and generations have come or go, there is a record of the existence o f that person, and where people can pay tribute and offer their respects (Boehlke, 1974). That is why each area has some form of arrangement for the individual recognition of the graves and the deceased within them. Furthermore, cemeteries also have social and personal functions. The social functions of cemeteries and crematoriums is a place where funeral services and commemorative services can be held before burials, where the loved ones of the deceased can gather in large groups and collectively revere and remember the life of the person in question. The personal function is when individual members of the deceaseds family come at later stages to have some personal time of solitude with them, and reflect over their life, as well as offer their love and respects. A cemetery should therefore amalgamate both of these functions, in a way where neither contradicts the other and yet they are integrated and not separated from each other. Cemeteries can serve the purpose of being a common link between family members and friends, who all have the same love and respect for the departed member, and therefore should offer to bring them closer, even after the initial funeral services have finished. As there are many different age groups that might be involved, perhaps there should also be distinct areas where each can feel most comfortable. In certain cemeteries, there is also segregation based on religion or social standing, which allows people to customize their graves and reflection areas according to their cultural and personal requirements. Furthermore, as cemeteries are a place where the feeling of death is prevalent, perhaps this feeling of death should be embraced rather than shunned, in a manner where it can be discussed and reflected over, in a way where it loses its sombre undertone, and is instead accepted as the reality of life that it actually is. Cemeteries are therefore far more than just an area to dispose of the dead in. It is, as said by scholar Richard E. Meyer (1993), ..cultural texts to be read by anyone who takes the time to learn a bit of their language, meaning there is far more to it, and far greater benefit that can be drawn from it, if only one should choose to utilize them correctly. Integrating cemeteries into modern spaces is a solution that hopes to fulfill all these requirements and one such cemetery which has successfully managed to adopt a modern interface and merge itself with urban development and transformation yet at the same time maintain its sanctity as a revered place of mourning and reflection is the Kaze-no-oka Crematorium in the south of Japan, on the outskirts of Nakatsu. The crematorium contained three main buildings, one where the ceremonies related to the cremation would be conducted, the funeral hall where funeral services would be held, and the waiting area, where mourners and loved ones would wait to pass the time. The idea behind the construction was to link these three buildings in a way where it seemed natural and consistent, as if each flowed into the other, while at the same time maintaining a sense of solitude and calm within each of the buildings. The architect who built and designed the buildings had a very clear vision behind the purpose of the crematoriums, which was not only to have a building where the cremation and funeral services would take place, but also to have to be a place where mourners could reflect over and pay reverence to their deceased loved ones in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility, where there was a prevailing sense of calm yet not moroseness. To establish this, the element of construction very carefully considered and involved aspects such as lighting, space, scale and proportion of the materials used and the arrangement they were used in. Bending paths, screened views, flower arrangements and directions of natural light were used to direct visitors from one element to the next in a gradually progressive manner and environment. As the architect explains the concept of the Japanese word Oku was kept in mind throughout the design process. Oku, meaning inner depth or inner space, is basically an arrangement where one attempts to create the illusion of space, or rather the effect of space, rather than space necessarily by itself. It is more of creating a distinct, remote, individual sense of space rather than creating space by creating a void between two objects. This is achieved more through light and layers of texture rather than, as mentioned, actual space . Trees, screen and natural light were all used to achieve the concept of Oku throughout the crematorium. This concept is also explored similarly in the work of Carlo Scarpa (Albertini & Bagnoli, 1988) In this way, by creating a sense of passages and passageways, and creating a sense of depth within each individual building, the crematorium was all interconnected yet at the same had its own distinct regions within itself, where each stage was isolated from the other, and contained within itself, so that mourners could appreciate being in that very moment and place and focus their sentiments accordingly and in peace. The result is a place that is perfectly isolated within itself and yet coherent and involved with its surroundings. This is the idea behind the successful integration of creating an urban concept cemetery. When considering the construction of a modern cemetery, not only should the aforementioned factors all be taken into account, but so should several others. For example, one should consider the technological aspect behind them and utilize elements of light and water into their structure, not only for the aesthetic purposes it would fulfill, but rather also to engage the feelings these elements tend to evoke in humans, as these natural elements tend to evoke a sense of meditation and calm. Also, it would offer a sense of conservation of energy and therefore not only a conservation of resources, but also a natural and subconscious feeling of the continuation of life. In my view, such a structure would be one that is a natural burial ground, close to the urban district, but with the structure along the lines of perhaps a memorial ground, so that individuals can come to pay their respects in solitude, without interference from the surrounding landscape. Corridors can also be used to integrate the feeling of solitude, as it was in the design of the Kaze-no-oka crematorium. Natural burial grounds are beneficial because they offer quick reuse of space, which will be a considerable problem in the future, considering the fast rate of population increase, and an inversely proportional rate of decrease in available space. The common link between the urban center, where the living preside, and the actual cemetery where the dead reside, and the living seek their peace would perhaps be a church like structure, where one could pensively reflect, and have a common ground to stand on, integrating both these ends and extremes. Churches are popularly used as social and functional centers as well as a place for religious purposes (Marin, 2007). On a final note, one should remember, that although it would be beneficial to integrate the space of the dead with the living community, it should be kept in mind that cemeteries are at the end of the day a place for the dead to have their final resting spot. It has a certain air of sobriety and dignity that should not be stripped away from it on account of the interaction that living people will offer to bring into it. Cemeteries should be lively, but they should also be calm, quiet and dignified, with its privacy maintained and conserved, as this is essential for maintaining their sanctity (Ragon, 1983). The ideal solution, thereby, would be to integrate them with the modern urban landscape, but at perhaps a slight distance from it, so that there is a mental distinction between the two. Of course this should not be done in a way where the isolation is absolute, and in a way where the sombre feeling transforms into grimness, but rather, a balance should be maintained, between the sanctity of a place where the deceased rest, and a place where the living come to pay their respects and seek their answers. References Albertini, B & Bagnoli, A, 1998, Carlo Scarpa: architecture in details, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. Boehlke, H, 1974, Friedhofbauten: Kapellen, Aufbewahrungsraume, Feierhallen, Krematorien , Callwey, Munchen. Curl, JS, 1980, A celebration of death: an introduction to some of the buildings, monuments, and settings of funerary architecture in the Western European tradition, Constable, London. Etlin, RA, 1984, The architecture of death: the transformation of the cemetery in eighteenth-century Paris, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. Grainger, HJ, 2005, Death redesigned: British crematoria: history, architecture and landscape, Spire Books, Reading. Harries, K, 1997, The ethical function of architecture, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. Marín, E, 2007, Converted churches , Tectum, Antwerp, Belgium. Meyer, Richard E. Ethnicity and the American Cemetery. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1993. Ragon, M 1983, The Space of Death: a study of funerary architecture, decoration and urbanism, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville. Stegers, R & Baumann, D 2008, Sacred Buildings: A Design Manual, Basel Read More