Life and death in the city; a space for the ritual and remembrance of the dead in an urban context

Abstract

A majority of humans now live in the city. For many, their lives, relationships and memories all exist within its borders. Yet places dedicated to remembering and mourning are often placed at the outskirts of the city, distant from daily life. Sites of burial are often central places in historical settlements and the marking of the graves is widely seen as a way of establishing ownership of a place. As cities grew however, so did graveyards. With this came issues of hygiene and lack of space, forcing burial sites further out. With modern advancements in cremation technology and changes in burial rites however, this is no longer necessary. The project attempts to utilize these advancements, bringing places of memory closer. The thesis is centred around a design proposal for a crematorium, a memorial grove and two funerary chapels located on the plot of the demolished pavilion behind Gothenburg’s Konsthall. A highly central location, but with a terrain and position which allows for the creation of more secluded situations. Through site visits and analysis of existing places for mourning, a collection of spatial sequences of different characters has been created. These sequences, together with experiences from our visit to Kviberg crematorium, forms the basis of our work. The resulting building is one of many layers. Where great care has been put on how to create thresholds in both landscape and building, creating clear paths and distance, without hiding away.