Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

During the last couple of years there has been articles in the news about people, around Sweden, using
our cemeteries for recreational purposes. There have been people drinking beer, sledding and having
picnic and cities that have defined cemeteries as green areas to be able to fulfil the environmental goals
in a new neighbourhood. I see this as a result of the densification strategy that we see dominating our
cities. Our green spaces get overbuilt in favour of residential buildings and commerce. This creates a
scenario where people go to the cemeteries to participate in activities, otherwise performed in the parks,
and there for a conflict between the people visiting the cemeteries in a recreational purpose and the ones
visiting a grave or memorial site. Thus, these two user groups have different needs.
This thesis seeks answer the question How can one, within the landscape architect’s practice, spare
the memorial site from the cemetery’s more active and multifunctional use and thus create healing and
comforting places? It aims to contribute to the knowledge of good design for restorative places, in
general, and memorial sites, in particular.
In the aim to do so I performed a literature study where I explored memorial site design through four
categories, activity, green assets, spatial elements and spirituality. The study is summarized as a tool I
call the Value Map. The map consists of values that I found important in the design of memorial sites.
To investigate the reality in our cemeteries and test this tool I performed site visits in four different
cemeteries in southern Sweden. During the site visits I explored the cemeteries from both the point
of view of a person visiting the space in a recreational purpose and a person visiting the space while
grieving. I also analysed the memorial site through the Value Map. From these analyses I then present
new additions to the memorial sites that would strengthen the values, and there for their role as healing
and comforting places.
My study shows that the following values are important to be able to spare the memorial site; Activity:
to physically care for something, to walk, to be alone, the usage of passage landscape and for there to
be a possibility for people traveling through the cemetery to sit down. Green Assets: Grahns perceived
sensory dimensions, especially serene, wild, lush and space, a balance between touched and untouched
nature and vegetation with a characteristic look. Spatial Element: a centre point, a possibility for the
visitor to modify the space, a view, a beautiful lightscape, a harmonic soundscape and materials that
give a feeling of durability and permanence. Spirituality: the space should appeal to all the senses,
the scale of the place should vary, the shift of seasons should be visible and there should be a layer of
symbolism and memory objects. I found that three out of four cemeteries did function as multifunctional
spaces. This due to them being large and having a clear separation between the calm areas and the active
areas. I found that the Value Map can be a good tool to show a design´s many assets and where it can
improve in the aspect of heling. I also found that the solution lays in layers. From great design, in the
small scale, to a general a higher status for calm values, in the large scale.