Current cemetery practices can be harmful to public health and local ecologies and be intensive users of resources such as water and energy. However, given their spiritual benefits to mourners and community members, I believe that cemeteries are still justified in their construction for societies that wish to have a relationship with their dead. With a growing and aging population, more spaces will be used to house the dead; I examined how these could spaces benefit the living as well. Cemeteries can be designed within natural systems, both in landscaping and in burial, as well as spaces for communities and explorations of new forms of art and architecture. Using research and my own experiences, I identified and analyzed exemplary cemeteries that benefit their contexts ecologically, socially, and artistically and architecturally. Ultimately, this paper exists as a guide for the development or retrofitting of cemeteries into active, lively spaces.

Abstract This thesis primarily deals with rituals and the specific objects related to the rituals. The rituals in question are the once in a life time event of the Hindu cremation ceremony, and perpendicular to that, the everyday rituals which constitutes daily life. Through an existential and ontological theoretical exploration the bridge, doorway, step and Lota (vernacular Indian pottery) become the signified objects which are arranged to form the existential theatre. Which presents a reincarnation of architecture: a hybrid pedestrian bridge with cremation infrastructure. Furthermore parallel theories of rationality and irrationality, solid and void, boundaries, the structure of time and nothingness, are explored to theoretically contextualize the semiotics of the architecture. The siting of the existential theatre is at the beginning of the Ganges River, formed by various head rivers, in Rishikesh, India. Rishikesh is at center of intersections of religious mythology, commercialism, touristism, a holy pilgrimage site, popular culture and a growing local community. It is only within this context can the existential theatre can exist, as the multiplicity of cultural intersections allows for a composite arrangement of various significations. Spatial, cultural and ritual typologies are revealed when using Learning from Las Vegas as a ruler to measure Rishikesh. These typologies are then employed into the scheme. The Hindu ritual of cremation is an age old tradition with the sole purpose of liberating the soul from its physical form. So it may then be reincarnated into another form. This process is governed by the law of Karma. An in-depth analysis is done of each stage of the ritual to highlight spaces within which architecture can facilitate, efficiently and sustainably, but not alter the process. The meaning behind each stage is used to sequentially signify components of the scheme. The first informal form of the existential theatre is witnessed due to natural occurrences and proximities of the once in a life time ritual of cremation along with everyday pedestrian rituals; this thesis is a formalization of these naturally occurring elements. The charrette process proved to be praxis of the existential and ontological theoretical inquiry; as well as a metaphor for the ritual of cremation. This was done through the abstraction of an everyday object, the incense stick. The charrette process produced the architectural tools with which to design the scheme with. The resulting architecture of the existential theatre is informed by the ceremonial cremation procession and is paralleled with every day rituals. The ultimate aim of my project is to facilitate the Hindu Cremation Ritual, in a respectful and sustainable manner while asking and suggesting answers to existential questions. / MN (2016)

This thesis examines the effects of transportation network changes, settlement pattern changes, population density and terrain characteristics upon cemetery siting. Due to the practically inviolate legal status of cemeteries, they provide a window to the past. Geographic Information Systems technology was used to analyze geophysical attributes of the cemetery sites. As transportation modes changed and improved, the distances from decedent's residences to burial sites increased. Also, cemetery upkeep is somewhat related to ease of accessibility, but other factors enter into this relationship. Personal interviews suggest that family"ties to the land" have an effect upon cemetery utilization and maintenance in rural southern West Virginia. Early cemeteries were sited in river and creek bottoms. More recently sited cemeteries are located at higher elevations. / Master of Science

Cemeteries have a lot of different values, both to people but also to society. Besides from being a burial place where survivors can go to be close to their deceased, they can also function as restorative places or cultural and historical places. This study’s aim is to investigate how future changes in the climate may potentially have impacts on cemeteries in Sweden in forms of flooding and to make a rough estimation of how many cemeteries that would be affected by this. This study will also investigate how many individuals that would be affected by this. In order to investigate this an overlay analysis was done in a Geographical Information System (GIS). The results showed that there are some cemeteries that would potentially have 10% or more of the total area flooded, given the scenarios in this study. It also shows that there could potentially be a lot of individuals that would be affected, in different ways.

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No description available.

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

Tsang Yik Wo. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2010-2011, design report." / Preface --- p.01 / Table of Content --- p.03 / Introduction / Chapter - --- Context and Scope --- p.05 / Chapter - --- Thesis Statement --- p.09 / Chapter - --- Interdisciplinary View --- p.11 / Chapter - --- Theoretical Framework --- p.15 / Value on the Place of Death / Chapter - --- Universal value --- p.17 / Chapter - --- Cultural value --- p.21 / Chapter - --- Local value --- p.23 / Chapter - --- Function of Cemetery --- p.38 / Architectural Research / Chapter - --- general understanding --- p.39 / Chapter - --- living and deceased connection --- p.43 / Chapter - --- living and deceased connection --- p.49 / Chapter - --- living and deceased connection --- p.55 / Chapter - --- land and spatial strategy --- p.59 / Site Selection / Chapter - --- a macro studies --- p.61 / Chapter - --- a micro studies --- p.63 / Spatial Requirement Analysis / Chapter - --- study on the space requirement and expected provision --- p.65 / Chapter - --- decay & regeneration --- p.67 / Design strategy / Chapter - --- urban strategy --- p.71 / Chapter - --- program strategy --- p.73 / Chapter - --- Final Design --- p.77 / Chapter - --- Special Studies --- p.87 / Conclusion --- p.91 / Design Process --- p.93 / Bibliography --- p.101

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture