01/2022
Nekrodomūs – new funeral sites for Vienna
How can a contemporary funeral culture take shape in the urban space? How can plural, diverse cultural practices and rituals be part of a shared urban cemetery in Vienna?
Alexander Garber
Diploma in Architecture
E253-3 – Raumgestaltung und Entwerfen
Supervisor: Wilfried Kühn
Additive ground floor and subtractive underground
Grave sites are among the oldest testimonies to human culture. Hence, they also rank among the oldest architectural phenomena in the broadest sense. For millennia, burial practices have been shaped by religious or mythical influences. With the increasing secularisation, pluralisation, heterogenisation, and individualisation of progressively urban societies, these traditional practices are currently undergoing significant transformation – a process that may be unparalleled in human history.
The proposed work is based on a comparative analysis of the symbolic and operational aspects of funeral rituals and burial sites. The aim is to identify commonalities and differences in prevailing traditional practices of humanity and to provide historical contextualisation. Special attention is given to current trends in sepulchral culture as evidence of the presumed transformation process.
The design of the space proposed offers room for farewells, mourning and remembrance for a contemporary urban society while considering anthropological, sociocultural, religious and philosophical topics alongside architectural themes. A holistic approach investigates public and private spheres, individuality and collectivity, ecologisation and environmental protection, market logic and globalisation, democracy and social justice, jurisprudence, and technologies, as well as responsible land use.
The design aims to present a potential contemporary environment for bidding farewell and caring for the deceased, accommodating the diverse cultures of a pluralistic society.
Grave sites are among the oldest testimonies to human culture. Hence, they also rank among the oldest architectural phenomena in the broadest sense. For millennia, burial practices have been shaped by religious or mythical influences. With the increasing secularisation, pluralisation, heterogenisation, and individualisation of progressively urban societies, these traditional practices are currently undergoing significant transformation – a process that may be unparalleled in human history.
The proposed work is based on a comparative analysis of the symbolic and operational aspects of funeral rituals and burial sites. The aim is to identify commonalities and differences in prevailing traditional practices of humanity and to provide historical contextualisation. Special attention is given to current trends in sepulchral culture as evidence of the presumed transformation process.
The design of the space proposed offers room for farewells, mourning and remembrance for a contemporary urban society while considering anthropological, sociocultural, religious and philosophical topics alongside architectural themes. A holistic approach investigates public and private spheres, individuality and collectivity, ecologisation and environmental protection, market logic and globalisation, democracy and social justice, jurisprudence, and technologies, as well as responsible land use.
The design aims to present a potential contemporary environment for bidding farewell and caring for the deceased, accommodating the diverse cultures of a pluralistic society.
Diploma in Architecture
E253-3 – Raumgestaltung und Entwerfen
Supervisor: Wilfried Kühn
