Before beginning the process of cemetery design, you must have a program statement. This statement should include all the amenities your cemetery will offer, burial types, mausoleums, cremation needs, chapels, office buildings, vehicular and pedestrian circulation, and main entrances. Your plan should also take into consideration the specific site conditions, including existing trees, shrubs, and bushes. Depending on the size of your cemetery, you may need to consider different design concepts in order to achieve a balanced plan.
Option “A” maximizes space by placing a circular road with an entry sequence that will match a curved roadway. This plan also promotes spectacular views as the entrances are located on the west side of the cemetery. The resulting layout also maximizes the number of grave blocks in a circular design. And the resulting layout allows for a larger number of new blocks without losing any space for the curving road. To achieve a balance between these factors, the best Cemetery Design should incorporate pedestrian paths.
In addition to enhancing the aesthetics of the cemetery, an appropriate landscape design can reduce contamination on the land. A cemetery that uses green infrastructure to retain water can also create a new, more attractive public space that promotes exploration. A cemetery’s landscape design can also reduce the need for more land for housing. It can also curb the risk of flooding by reducing the area occupied by a cemetery. And it can also provide a great opportunity to incorporate new buildings.
If you have a new cemetery in mind, you may want to seek the services of a cemetery designer. These experts are experienced in the cemetery industry and can help you develop a design plan for the new cemetery or improve an existing one. Cemetery designers are experts at collaborating with many different cultures and clientele to meet all of their clients’ needs. In addition to helping with design and maintenance, cemetery designers are also able to brainstorm future cemetery development requirements.
Cemetery design should respond to regional characteristics of the area. While it might be hard to imagine how a cemetery can change and grow in the future, it must also respond to changing demographics, immediate neighborhood, and capital replacement costs. This planning approach is essential for cemetery master plans, as it lifts thinking above the cemetery’s existing situation. However, it is also important to consider the cost of operating and maintaining the cemetery. So, cemetery design should address the budgetary constraints and make it as user-friendly as possible.
New York’s cemeteries are like parks in the city: they still have a fair share of mourners on weekends, while urban cemeteries are increasingly treated like urban parks. Eventually, even rural cemeteries will run out of space for burials, and those who want to stay in the city will have to settle for Staten Island or New Jersey. The design of a cemetery must strike a balance between the permanence of the interment and the permanence of the landscape.
In the context of addressing these challenges, the City of Johannesburg is developing innovative cemetery design models. Its goal is to create an inclusive cemetery that will cater to a diverse demographic. This means incorporating a plan for alternative burial. This may involve interment above the ground in mausoleums or cremation. The design of a cemetery should also incorporate the social values of the area. The city’s history and culture will often inform how it is planned.
The modern “rural” cemetery movement took its cues from the romantic perceptions of nature and art. The melancholy theme of death was a common thread. The “rural” cemetery movement drew on the aesthetics of European cemeteries, such as Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, which was built in 1804. A similar movement was initiated in New York, with the Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, in 1838.