CREMATORIUM

Abstract

Humans are constantly worried by the thought of their mortality. We avoid addressing it in any form and physically steer away from spaces that signify death. As a child, I was always kept distant from death ceremonies or places for the dead. Even after reaching my adulthood, I was always told it was not a suitable area to visit. Why do we fear it so intensely when it is a reality we all have to face? The diversity and cultural contrast span across our city fabric. Each community has its own specifics of final rites performed for the deceased which have been adapted and reshaped over time, considering the environmental and cultural changes in the society. The society has advanced and given more meaning in quality of life. But the scenario of rituals and the architecture on funerals has not taken in account. The ignorance and taboos related to the death are still existing in our society. Now the rituals are forgotten or less practiced. The spaces provided in crematoriums are not meeting the needs of rituals and events which are performed during funeral, here in Nepal. Analyzing the rituals, events, traditional architecture of ghats, modern influences in these spaces can help us to create a better space for the mourners during their final goodbye to their loved ones and also serve the society as whole. This is a very need project as due to recent covid-19 the death rates are high and even the Pashupati Area Development Trust (P.A.D.T) have said that the existing ghats cannot control the no. of dead and requires more crematorium but this need leads to mass building of crematorium with no thoughts given to the architecture. In conclusion this project “Crematorium (Re-defining the spaces of final honor)” is proposed as an alternate for P.A.D.T which includes overall functions and requirements bounded in same place which is needed for proposing a crematorium. Finally, design resulted in form of presentation drawing.