Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Urban densification is placing increasing pressure on public green space in cities worldwide. Cemeteries, which are historically regarded as monofunctional places of mourning, have begun to attract attention as an underutilised resource in this context, given their park-like qualities and demonstrable restorative potential. This thesis investigates how a suburban Icelandic cemetery can be redesigned as a restorative, multifunctional public space without compromising its role as a place of mourning and remembrance.
The study explores Gufuneskirkjugarður, a 32,1-hectare cemetery in the northern Reykjavík suburb of Grafarvogur. Following a pragmatic Research Through Design (RTD) approach, the project integrates three complementary sources of knowledge: a literature review examining Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and the Perceived Restoration Scale (PRS), alongside research on Nordic cemeteries as multifunctional urban green spaces; a site visit and analysis structured around ART’s four components, being away, fascination, extent, and compatibility; and a resident survey in which participants rated five pairs of photographed scenes, each pairing an existing site condition with a digitally altered design intervention, using PRS-derived items.
The site analysis and survey agree on a set of restorative shortcomings: a sparse eastern perimeter hedge that exposes the cemetery’s interior to surrounding traffic, a path network whose straight geometry and shared vehicle and pedestrian use undermine both safety and a sense of welcome, an entrance threshold that produces the lowest compatibility scores of any location in the study, and seating areas that lack the enclosure needed for restorative use. The design proposal addresses these conditions through targeted understory planting along the eastern perimeter, a restructured pedestrian-priority path network, redesigned entrance thresholds, and the introduction of new elements, including a central green square with a water feature, and portal planting at secondary entrances, that support restoration across the site.
The project confirms that ART and the PRS serve effectively as analytical and evaluative tools in cemetery design research. The methodology is transferable to other Nordic and Icelandic cemeteries, which have received almost no empirical design attention to date.