New Cemetery Of Borgaretto
The main feature of the new cemetery of Borgaretto, placed inside the Sangone park, is the 360° panoramic view above and beyond the monumental walls that run along its borders, made out with huge rocks usually applied in river cliffs.
To allow such a view, the project is articulated at different levels: the arrival at +2.40m, connected to the entrance through ramps and a pedestrian bridge flying over the existing cemetery; an intermediate level at +1.20m; the ground level. Along the perimetral wall, visitors walk at the intermediate level, looking beyond the cliff which provides a safe handrail.
The core of the whole intervention is a new typology for the burials: built in place with concrete, they provide support for the elevated ground-level at +2.40m. Within this field, 30cm-deep hollow areas mark the presence of the burials underneath, while the metal-grid paving allows the view of each burial. Headstones lay horizontally along the perimeter of the hollows, shaded by a tree.
The whole cemetery is conceived as a huge mass of stones and gravel variably grained: walking paths are covered with thingrained gravel, while steeps are made with coarse-grained stones. Seats, stairs and ramps are made with washed concrete to let gravel appear at the surface, as the fundamental element of the whole intervention as well as of the surrounding park landscape, marked by the presence of old quarries.
