Death Is Not The End - Arch Out Loud

5/28/2020 Death is not the End - arch out loud
DEATH IS NOT THE END. BEING FORGOTTEN IS.

FIRST PLACE WINNER
Wei Li He, Wu Jing Ting Zeng, Zhi Ruo Ma, Kui Yu Gong / Priestman Architects
Chongqing, China
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The End of Life is not Death, Being Forgotten Is.
When designing a vertical cemetery in response to the challenge of limited space in the city, we believe that the cemetery can be something more than simply
stacking in the vertical direction. There exists a more sustainable way to store co ns, to remember the dead, and to express a new way of looking at life and
death.
Our design concept is based on a motto – the end of life is not death; being forgotten is. In our design, we employ balloons as a media for commemorating the
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dead. The co n for a deceased person is a two-meter-diameter helium balloon. Ashes were stored in an octahedral box at the center of the balloon, which is
made of bio-degradable materials. Both the interior and the exterior of a balloon is coated rst with ammable oxidizer and then covered with oxidation
resistant materials. The balloon is tied to the ground by optical bers with a countdown winch underground.
Every time a person’s ashes are put in a balloon, the winch starts counting down. At the same time, the balloon begins to rise. Whenever friends and families
come to visit, the balloon pauses. If no visitor comes, the balloon keeps rising. The oxidation resistant coating protects the balloon from being weathered and
allows it to stay oating in the open air. Eventually, when the optical bers reach the end, the balloon ies to the sky until blowing o in the atmosphere. While
traveling back from the atmosphere, the inner layer of oxidizer coating will ignite the whole balloon in the sky. With the rain and the wind, the ashes travels
back to the earth.
As a balloon rises, a person is gradually being forgotten by the rest of the world. When the balloon nally ies to the sky, it means the person is fully buried
into history. The rising process is a farewell ritual to the deceased. As balloons travel into the sky, the whole city participates in the commemoration of the
deceased. The rising balloons not only remember the deceased but also remind the living, “In the long river of life, have you forgotten someone?”
Undoubtedly, as time goes by, some people will be forgotten. Also, new ashes will be placed in the balloons. As the balloons rise one after another, the
challenge of cemetery space has received a sustainable answer. Here, the course of life is represented by the rising balloons: unceasingly, lives come and go.
Comparing to the heavy-hearted monuments, the lissome balloons represent a more peaceful relationship with death. The transient tower formed by the
balloons is more conspicuous than any other building in the city skyline. For pedestrians walking on the streets, the balloons cast shades and shelter rain above
their heads.
From the street, visitors can walk up to an upper-level viewing platform. A ramp slopes down to the building behind and creates opportunities for multi-layer
green spaces. The hilly structure on the ground touches the street level gently and connects with a spiral staircase below. Following the spiral stairs, visitors
descend gradually to the commemorating space at the bottom. On their way down, they can sit and rest on the large steps. Optical bers tied to the balloons
bring the sunlight above into the re ecting pond below. Standing by the re ecting pond, in a space of light and tranquility, people commemorating the
deceased.
This project explores a new way of dealing with the spatial constraint for urban cemeteries while expressing a unique approach to life and death. By having the
balloons as a medium for co n storage, we utilize the vertical space by having balloons that gradually rise up and eventually y o . The appearing and
disappearing of balloons resonate with the temporality of life. Departing from the depressing silence in traditional cemetery design, we propose a new space
of tranquility created by a tower of rising balloons.
Height Analysis
Taking advantage of the buoyant quality of the balloons, our commemorating tower can reach an exceptional height beyond all other architectural presence. By
utilizing the vertical spaces, this project creates a new landmark in the city.
Contrast
When designing a vertical cemetery, if we simply stack tombs one upon another, it would result in many towering tombstones in the city. By using balloons to
carry co ns, the vertical space is occupied in a more tranquil and sustainable way.
From the street, visitors can walk up to an upper-level viewing platform. A ramp slopes down to the building behind and creates opportunities for multi-layer
green spaces. The hilly structure on the ground touches the street level gently and connects with a spiral staircase below. Following the spiral stairs, visitors
descend gradually to the commemorating space at the bottom. On their way down, they can sit and rest on the large steps. Optical bers tied to the balloons
bring the sunlight above into the re ecting pond below. Standing by the re ecting pond, in a space of light and tranquility, people commemorating the
deceased.
This project explores a new way of dealing with the spatial constrain for urban cemeteries while expressing a unique approach to life and death. By having the
balloons as a medium for co n storage, we utilize the vertical space by having balloons that gradually rise up and eventually y o . The appearing and
disappearing of balloons resonate with the temporality of life. Departing from the depressing silence in traditional cemetery design, we propose a new space
of tranquility created by a tower of rising balloons.
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5/28/2020 Death is not the End - arch out loud

DEATH IS NOT THE END. BEING FORGOTTEN IS.

The End of Life is not Death, Being Forgotten Is.

JURORS PARTNERS SPONSOR CONTACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS LOGIN

© 2019 ARCH OUT LOUD - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - ARCHITECTURE COMPETITIONS

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