Mortal Infill: Finding space for the dead in today's suburbs

The spaces set aside for the dead in contemporary cities have been shifted to the periphery. As a result the built fabric of today’s suburbs does little to acknowledge the mortality of their inhabitants. This thesis aims to introduce spaces for the dead into these suburbs through a network of memorial walls, known as ‘columbaria’, which will provide inhabitants with the option of interment closer to their own communities. A series of design principles have been developed, through research and design testing, for the distribution and composition of these spaces. This testing has been carried out through a design case study, focusing on site selection and design, based in Wellington city. The resulting design principles provide a framework for the establishment of a place for death within contemporary suburbs, increasing their inhabitants’ awareness of their own mortality, and consequently their appreciation of life.