samuel rosenzweig: student of architecture
Design Research Studio: Context + Integration
Memorialising Death and IndustryCurrently, I
am undertaking a design research studio. My greater project looks at the
combination of historic industries of South Australia and memorialisation of
death in the form of a cemetery cross crematorium.
The site which I am focusing on is the Kanmantoo Copper mine on the eastern fringe of the greater metropolitan region of Adelaide. Along with the use of the mine site, I am investigating the possibility of using the existing train infrastructure that passes the site creating the link back to Adelaide, a city with the need for housing both the alive and the dead. This design studio proposal bridging what it means to memorialize those that have passed and the industries that South Australia was built upon.
. . .
The site which I am focusing on is the Kanmantoo Copper mine on the eastern fringe of the greater metropolitan region of Adelaide. Along with the use of the mine site, I am investigating the possibility of using the existing train infrastructure that passes the site creating the link back to Adelaide, a city with the need for housing both the alive and the dead. This design studio proposal bridging what it means to memorialize those that have passed and the industries that South Australia was built upon.
. . .
The proposal
looks at the cemeteries around Adelaide and speculates what happens when these
cemeteries are full. Could we use the dramatic landscape of an open-cut mine as
the place of memorialisation? Could we complete the same rituals in a different
space?
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Within the design, sloped walkways are a key design decision. Lifts require groups to be split and stairs require concentration. Both of these issues split attention away from why someone is actually there, it also inhibits a group to be able to mourn together.
Within the design, sloped walkways are a key design decision. Lifts require groups to be split and stairs require concentration. Both of these issues split attention away from why someone is actually there, it also inhibits a group to be able to mourn together.
Yes, the
open-cut mine will be a scar on the landscape for a long time to come but this
gives the opportunity to integrate the history of the industry with the idea of
memorialisation. This does not mean we should just leave the surrounding barren
but over time revegetate. A method used across many mine sites and heavy industry
sites in South Australia is an Ecological Succession method, where first ground
cover is direct-seeded to start anew a cycle of life with dead matter, breaking
down, leaving nutrients for large foliage to grow over time.
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Areas in the
building allow spaces for remembrance. These rooms allow for people to return
to the Kanmantoo Memorial to remember those that have been interred there.
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