Garden Cemetery
The design of the new cemetery is based on existing qualities of the area – treetops of an elderly chestnut alley, horizons of surrounding fields, existing cemetery wall, chapel of St. Wenceslas, and axis of a trail leading to the rocky lookout towards Goat ridges.
We define the cemetery area through structures, principles, and materials; dividing the space by a grid of cemetery walls and paths enables the easy growth of the cemetery according to capacity needs in the future while maintaining the general concept. The landscape is regulated, yet leaving some areas less defined, aiming to integrate the cemetery gardens in the surrounding fields and meadows over time.
By the entrance, a utility house for the cemetery keeper is designed, incorporating public bathrooms as well. New parking spots are defined. The chapel of St. Wenceslas is reopened as a spiritual shelter for anyone seeking it. The grove behind the chapel is dedicated to alternative burial methods – placing the ashes by the roots of the trees or scattering them on the meadow.
Horizontality, destigmatization of the cemetery space, transparency of the cemetery wall, vistas, and integration in the landscape are the main themes defining this newly created public space.
