Memory beyond mortality
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Other Title
Authors
Hegyi, Beatrix Szabone
Author ORCID Profiles (clickable)
Degree
Master of Architecture (Professional)
Grantor
Unitec, Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology
Date
2023
Supervisors
Budgett, Jeanette
Francis, Kerry
Danielmeier, Tobias
Francis, Kerry
Danielmeier, Tobias
Type
Masters Thesis
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
Symonds Street Cemetary (Auckland, N.Z.)
Auckland (N.Z.)
New Zealand
cemetery architecture
memory in architecture
funerals
Auckland (N.Z.)
New Zealand
cemetery architecture
memory in architecture
funerals
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Hegyi, B.S. (2023). Memory beyond mortality (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional)). Unitec, Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology https://hdl.handle.net/10652/6230
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION
How can the poetics of construction be used to enhance architecture?
ABSTRACT
This research project explores the changing norms surrounding funerary rituals and new technologies for the disposal of bodies, aiming to propose architecture for the Symonds Street Cemetery in Auckland. The project suggests the re-use of this old, historical cemetery — a mysterious and forgotten space in the heart of the city. The research project aims to retrieve the urban history of this heritage site and create a place for individual memories.
Everyone will inevitably face death, a universal experience. Cemeteries serve as the final resting places for all departed souls and are spaces dedicated to keeping memories alive. However, many old historical cemeteries in cities have fallen out of use and they are not more than a leftover fragment of urban history. Our active cemeteries are facing significant challenges. Traditional burials demand vast amounts of land, and expanding their boundaries is not always feasible in the context of urban fabric. Our old ways of handling human remains lack sustainability. Globally, there is growing awareness of sustainable alternatives for handling human remains after death.
Architecture has the ability to preserve and evoke memories through tectonics, techniques and material choices. The design research takes a speculative and propositional approach, utilising a cyclical methodology that includes research, writing, drawing and iterative design techniques. The project investigates the universality of farewells by examining diverse funerary traditions, the evolving funeral rituals, the modern perspectives on mortality, and the rising preference for eco-friendly burial practices. The research explores the connection between architecture and the layers of individual and collective memory. The relationship between architectonic and memory preservation is analysed through precedent studies. Finally, the project researches the history of the site to propose an architecture of memory for Symonds Street Cemetery, bridging past, present, and future
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