As part of my final year studio we
were given the choice of four sites to situate our design on. Without yet
knowing the direction my studio would take, I chose a small island in Sydney
over sites in Rome, Lisbon and Adelaide. Considering I was investigating the
grotto in contemporary design, choosing a setting with an established history in
grotto design seemed too easy, and Adelaide, my hometown, was something I was
too familiar with. I wanted to challenge myself with something different for my
final studio projects and thus I chose Shark Island.
Figure 1[1] aerial view over Shark Island, Sydney.
It was Shark Island’s close association with water that really captured my interest and having determined the direction my research would take it seemed the logical choice. Almost fortuitously the island features numerous grotto-like nooks and man-made grottoes. Unfortunately these ‘grottoes,’ for want of a better word, were clearly designed to house bathrooms and storage on a minimal budget. The choice of grotto-like materials were a mere product of being conveniently at hand.
Figure 2 & 3[2] one of Shark Island’s ‘grottoes,’ an empty shell that used to be a toilet
block.
What I liked about basing my site in Australia was the lack of historical connection this country has with the grotto in architecture and landscape design. By placing my studio project in such an environment it seemed the perfect location to investigate whether the grotto is ready to re-emerge within contemporary design. At that stage however I had only just begun to scratch the surface of contemporary grotto projects.
Since then I have found many instances
of art, architecture and design that have validated my research, proving that
the grotto is still a relevant theme to architecture today as explored in my
previous blog entries, although perhaps not as common as I would like. Some of
the more exciting contemporary works of grotto-inspired architecture remain
unrealised, or the result of university submissions. It is uplifting to think that one day these
designers might embed some of the language they have discovered in researching
the grotto in their future architectural works.
After establishing the location of my
site I then proceeded to bestow a function upon Shark Island. I toyed with
various ideas, such as a monastery, a spa and healing complex, a library
complex and a necropolis, however ultimately it was my research into the more
experiential qualities of the grotto that cemented the direction my design work
would take: a crematorium.
One of the key points of criteria was
to ensure the facility was not privatised, which meant I had to design a
crematorium complex that is accessible for all; the religious and
non-religious, the wealthy, the middle class, and the poor. This also meant I
had to provide a range of chapel spaces varying in scale.
Another key criteria point I needed to
address was the idea of retention. What would I retain? Originally I approached
this concept in terms of creating a memory island, and this in turn led me to
create a virtual cemetery as part of my columbarium. Essentially it is a
computer database allowing access to information, photos and videos of the deceased.
It would allow the departed to leave behind a more physical memory of their
time on earth.
Originally I cared little for
retaining any of the existing infrastructure - indeed I still do, the picnic
pavilions being ugly and irrelevant to my vision. However since visiting Shark
Island I have seen the beauty that lies in the sandstone edges of the island.
As a result I am in the process of adjusting my design to preserve and
celebrate these encounters, replacing the narrow and uneven path with something
sturdier to help people discover the charm of the eroded edge. I am also doing
my best to retain the pines, palms and Moreton Bay figs that edge the existing
picnic area.
Shark Island, much like the rest of
Sydney, is comprised of sandstone, and this highly textured and patterned
material became something I really wanted to utilise in my design. Not only
would it provide some material familiarity to the bereaved (as it is featured
extensively in historic Sydney architecture), but also its porous structure
allows it to age beautifully. It also
has the added benefit of occasionally resembling tufa, a common material found
throughout traditional artificial grotto design.
The idea of bestowing the island with a
sense of familiarity was discovered in my reading of Robert Olen Butler’s short
story, ‘The Grotto.’ What resonated
with me was the way the protagonist described their experience of a foreign
grotto following the death of her Mother. It provided her with an escape from
the pleasure garden outside, and a space in which to reflect on her grief. There
are moments of surprise and discomfort, but one thing that stood out was the
way the familiarity of the tufa walls comforted her. Additionally the story
also illustrated the way the grotto can speak to something within all of us, no
matter our culture, as evident in the protagonist’s encounter with the Egyptian
caretaker.[4]
Indeed it would seem the cave is something that humans find inherently
intriguing.
The historical use of caves or islands
as places for the dead also underpinned my choice of creating a crematorium
facility. One image I found particularly inspiring was Arnold Böckin’s ‘Isle of
the Dead.’ Cypress trees themselves symbolise death,[5]
and the monolithic stone isle rising up out of the sea carved with mysterious caves
seems otherworldly. Catacombs offer similarly intriguing spaces that are still
accessible today. Even the bible acknowledges the cave’s role in juxtaposition
of life and death in the story of Jesus’ resurrection (although there are
numerous other biblical instances which feature caves as burial spaces.)[6]
Moving away from the historic and
symbolic, I have also had to investigate the more practical elements of
crematorium design. One of the common themes I discovered in existing memorial
spaces was the way designers separated the different chapels so as not to
intensify grief. Another was to hide away the crematorium process. In places
like Centennial Park, the crematorium was an industrial shed, removed from the
main chapel complex and inaccessible to the public. For Warren and Mahoney’s Harewood Memorial Gardens Crematorium (1963) it was important they hide the
chimney from view.[8] I
found this research a good starting point in understanding some of the concerns
I would need to design for in my scheme.
Figure 7,[9]
Centennial Park, Adelaide.
My research led me to question, how
exactly would I create a grotto-like architecture in designing a crematorium
facility?
As covered in my previous posts I
could follow the path of
Arranda/Lasch and create a design of significant geometrical complexity. Or
perhaps take the approach of ARM to heart and look at façade treatment? On the
other hand I could take on board the more symbolic elements as Kiesler did, or
focus on creating a highly experiential atmosphere like Akhob.
Although my design is still in the
schematic stages, I like to think I have drawn something from my observations
on the contemporary case studies referenced above as well as many others,
alongside my analysis of the more traditional grottoes. At this stage I do know
that I will utilise much of the island’s existing sandstone, and enhance the
island’s existing connection to water, perhaps through a series of well-placed
pools. My spaces will seek to be highly meditative and tranquil, some more so
than others, and feature cypress trees to replace those that may need to be
removed.
Much of my design will attempt to be
embedded into the existing island form, with a dark, wet and gritty sunken
columbarium in the island’s centre, perhaps comprised of a series of
labyrinthine corridors. As much as I would like to reference some of the more faceted
and angular contemporary iterations of the grotto, I feel that the departure
from conventional form might cause discomfort to those unfamiliar with the
architectural intentions.
Whatever my design will become, I hope
that my multiple explorations into how grottoes and grotto-inspired design can
be incorporated into architecture beyond the pavilion stage will illustrate the
different ways this can be achieved.
Watch this space…In a months time I
will post images of my crematorium complex.
[1] Figure 1 courtesy of Google. "Shark Island, Point Piper, New South Wales." Google, https://maps.google.com.au/.
[3] Figure 4 & 5 courtesy of
Jessica Alderslade, 2014
[4] Butler, Robert Olen.
"The Grotto." Ploughshares 30, no. 1 (2004): 49-62.
[5] Gibson, Michael. Symbolism. Big Art S. edited by Gilles Neret
america: Tachen America Llc, 2006.
[6] Miller, Naomi. Heavenly
Caves: Reflections on the Garden Grotto. World Landscape Art &
Architecture Series. United States of
America: George Braziller Inc., 1982. P. 29-34
[7] Figure 6 courtesy of Anonymous. "Arnold Böcklin." http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/boecklin.html.
[8] Mahoney, Warren and.
"Harewood Memorial Gardens and Crematorium." http://www.warrenandmahoney.com/en/portfolio/harewood-memorial-gardens-crematorium/.
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