SAFE HAVEN: A PROPOSED VERTICAL CEMETERY COMPLEX Employing Sustainable and Passive Architecture

Death is an integral part of life. When this final phase of a person’s life comes, the people who are close to that person will need to choose a final resting place, which is the reason why cemeteries are built. It is an innate human desire to provide proper funeral for those who have passed away as their means of paying respects to their loved ones. It was a difficult time in human history when cemeteries were overwhelmed due to the mortality rates that have exponentially risen. Cemeteries and other forms of burial grounds were overcrowded that suddenly diminished their sufficiency particularly the public cemeteries. Capels and Senville (2016) stated that the lack of capacity of cemeteries needs to pay more attention and more priority with the way they are being designed. It deserves more attention to be incorporated into the planning process of what the town commonly undertakes as necessities such as various types of infrastructure, community facilities, and services. Due to this scenario, the vertical form of the cemetery anticipates that this innovative approach will provide a sustainable solution to save space and provide a decent resting place. Dlugozima (2022) says that choosing a site must consider the spatial, legal, environmental, socio-cultural, landscape, and aesthetic aspects. Inappropriately locations have decreased the efficiency and sustainability of the development process. This indicates that the consequence of the wrong cemetery location is a waste of land and environmental pollution. As a solution, the proposed vertical cemetery complex is non-sectarian which will be open to all religious backgrounds and affiliations. The researcher found that different religious burial practices affect the project’s design solution. For instance, not all faiths concede to cremation. Judaism and Islam are among the world’s major religions that are most strongly opposed to cremation. In contrast to Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, there is little diversity of opinion. Even in one faith, this difference causes extensive burial variants in practice. For verticality to be acceptable in practice, the building's design must provide options so people can choose based on their preferences. The proposed project in this manner will, provide burial space for in-ground, wall burials, mausoleums, and columbaria to save space. Also, incorporating other funeral facilities like the funeral home, mortuaries, and crematoriums will be beneficial to cater to the needs of a bereaved family. This development will not only meet the demand for burials but will also serve as a pioneering foundation for future development of a similar nature (Fong,2019).