Departure into nature
Growing up, I was never close with the idea of death. I wasn’t exposed to it nor did I fully understand it. My only idea of cemeteries came from what was seen on television or the desolate cemetery found off of the Garden State Parkway by exit 145. After going back and forth with design ideas, I spoke to my mom for some insight. Her idea of a burial didn’t involve a casket. She has a hard time believing the person is still there below the ground. That is the reason why we hardly every visit my past relatives who are buried. That lack of exposure developed a disconnection between me and cemeteries. That disconnection influenced further research into how a landscape can embody disconnection and serve an ecological purpose. That is where my burial practice of alkaline hydrolysis comes in. Alkaline hydrolysis is a form of fireless cremation using water and potassium hydroxide to liquify the body leaving only bones. The liquid remains are filtrated inside the maintenance building and then released through a terraced wetland further cleansing the water before it is released into Crosswicks Creek that leads right into the Delaware River. The remains are able to be placed in columbariums found on the terraces opposite the side of the wetland. The landscape is designed so the family members visiting the site have the ability to travel through the same process as their dearly departed, but not with them. The passing of their bodies through the site symbolized the disbelief of the bodies being there, but spaces are still provided for remembrance.
Context
The site for this design is located on what used to be Point Breeze, the former estate of Joseph Bonaparte. The site current belongs to The Divine Word Monastery. This part of the site is on the southern part of what used to be Bonaparte's estate where he designed his house, a belvedere, a lake and a lake house. Being right along Crosswicks Creek, this site has direct access and views into the Delaware River.
Site/historical
inventory
This section is a visual exploration marrying the site photos of the current conditions of the site, the site's history, its religious connection, and text from Paradise Lost by 17th Century English-poet John Milton. This graphic was composed alongside student Nina Petracca. From left to right, the section tells a story of the land being originally inhabited by the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, how colonization began to alter it, and how Bonaparte completely manipulated it to become a picturesque landscape. The next portion of the section shows the site's current condition and highlights religious elements based off of the text of Paradise Lost.
religion/culture inventory
From right to left these collages look at an abbreviated representation of different religions and their origins, beliefs, places of worship, religious practices, burial practices, and their belief of the afterlife. Given the length of the studio, we weren't asked to fully represent the religions shown below and asked to highlight specific elements to help guide our studio's design. There is far more to these religions than just what is shown below.
hindu
This collage shows a few essential Hindu gods, the practices of the celebration of Diwali, the temple of Lakshmi in Dehli, and the burial process of tying the toes upon death, cleansing the body, and being burned in the pyre before then being released into the holy Ganges River.
native american
Because there are so many Native American tribes within the United States, this collage focuses more on the Lenape Tribe and the Lakota Tribe, one tribe from the east and one from the midwest/west. It begins with the Lenape beliefs of the earth being all water until a tortoise raises his back out of the water to create land. It moves to their burial practice placing the body in on its side in a fetal position. It then moves to the beliefs of the Lakota Tribe including religious dances and quests. It finishes with the burial practices including sky burials where the body of the deceased is returned to nature by being raised on a wood platform to be eaten by scavenger birds.
African traditional
African traditional religions consist of many religions so the Yoruba religion was focused on in this representation beginning with Olodumare, the supreme being, breathing life into the people made by Obatala who is an Orisha, a minor god. Going into the burial practice, the body is washed with a mix made with the blood of a hen sacrificed by an Onatonise. Going from a shrouded body and placed in a casket, a procession takes place throughout the town with music to the site of burial. These traditions can be seen translated in modern African American practices, for example, in Louisiana with a similar grand procession. And at the site burial site, the deceased being buried with pieces of silver and clay pots, similar to those buried in the Congo.
site Diagrams
movement
This diagram represents the separation of movement. The orange representing movement of people and the blue, the movement of water. This further represents the separation between a physical movement and a spiritual movement while separate, they move together in a similar direction where the base of the site being the barrier of movement for the living.
Viewshed
This diagram shows the view shed opportunities from the places of remembrance. These places of remembrance are placed to allow for views overlooking the marsh along the bluff following down into the bordering Crosswicks Creek. These are located on the northern edge of the site. The western edge is the final viewpoint with a direct view of the Delaware River.
Master Plan
This plan shows my design in relation to the surrounding areas. The entrance would be located on the north eastern most part of my site where one would park their car. Then they can begin to walk through a dense canopy until they have the choice to walk directly towards to the building where the body is prepared or to the places of remembrance. Either path ends up with an abrupt end in canopy and opens up into an engineered landscape with remembrance plazas where the departed would be buried or acknowledged via columbarium.
Site Section
This section cuts through the site showing the teared remembrance plazas in relation to one another planted with Ginkgo trees, a tree resembling longevity in the fact that the memory of the loved ones would live on.
site perspectives
