Full of Absence

Program: Religious
Design Team: Reza Pradika
Location: Shinjuku, Japan
Year: 2017
Status: Conceptual
Size: 7,900 sqm

As the world urbanises, lack of space is one of the many familiar problems faced by anyone who lives in large cities. It may be the same case when they die too. Today, we see burial place in cities like cemetery is undertaking a significant reinterpretation. A contemporary attitude shows a shift from traditional horizontal sprawl of burial method to take advantage of the open vertical orientation as a way to respond to this issue.

Typically, traditional cemetery design has a strong connotation with the vast landscape setting as an integral element that assists in fostering contemplative experience. Looking at the current trend of vertical orientated cemetery, there needs to be a research on how to re-imagine this notion of contemplative experience. The research proposes a set of design principles which potentially assist in fostering contemplative experience. Significantly, the research offers a meaningful and experiential place which elevates the building into memorable and transformative experiences. The set of design principles is intended to serve as a framework for conceptualising a place which induces contemplative experience.