Aa striking new cemetery in Letchworth Garden City that helps to address Britain's escalating burial crisis.

Designed by mae - a young architecture practice based in North London - Wilbury Hills cemetery in Hertfordshire is a flagship in modern cemetery design which the practice hopes could completely transform the way we bury our dead - at present burial space is fast running out in Britain with so few new cemeteries being built that the government is considering the sensitive issue of allowing the re-use of old graves.

Michael Howe, partner at mae, says that it's an issue that urgently needs to be addressed. So much so that, although seldom associated with the fashionable world of architecture, mae has spent a number of years researching and lecturing on the issue and campaigning for better designed cemeteries.

At Wilbury Hills, the first cemetery they have designed and built, the practice has not only brought cemetery design firmly into the 21st century but in doing so hope to encourage a return to the civic values of the great Victorian burial grounds - when cemeteries were not only places to bury the dead but a central part of the community.

Incorporating a modern non-denominational chapel, orientated east west in sympathy for both Muslims and Christians, the cemetery combines a number of burial plots designed to serve the modern day community. Designed as a series of external rooms, burial options include eco-plots (where graves are marked by trees), child graves, family plots and spaces for niche internments while mausoleums in the surrounding courtyard will meet the needs of the local Italian community. Other areas will cater for different religious groups.

The chapel building is an intimate space formed of two volumes. the entrance with its distinct top-lit roof, acts as an orientation point for the site. The porch, the first act of public generosity offers a place for the gathering of burial parties. The main hall for meetings and services takes the form of an adjacent, contiguous structure set on a slightly different orientation from the entrance hall, a large picture window addresses the landscape beyond.

Equally important to the design of the graves and the chapel however, is the parkland in which they sit. the cemetery has been designed to deliberately encourage public use, with park and woodland at its centre and a chapel that can be used not only for funeral services and prayer but as a classroom for local children studying bio-diversity, a community centre and a space for celebrations.

"Cemeteries are the most under-valued public spaces we have" says Howe. "One of the issues that has led to the desecration of burial grounds is fear. Socialising these spaces is absolutely essential. People should view cemeteries as green open spaces in which they can stroll, socialise and relax."

Alex Ely, mae Partner, continues "Wilbury Hills Cemetery and chapel provide a real solution to a problem affecting councils throughout the UK. As a culture we have become distanced from our dead and in England particularly there has been little fresh thinking on the subject of burial since Victorian times. We need to start viewing cemeteries as part of the wider community and making the most of their space. In designing Wilbury Hills we wanted to create a new model for town planning when it was built. We approached the project by considering the broader potential of a cemetery as a public space. By doing so we have provided valuable amenity space, contributing positive social, economic and environmental benefits to the community."

Councillor Needham, North Herts District Council's Portfolio Holder for environment added "This approach should help to avoid the problems of vandalism and anti-social behaviour faced by some cemeteries. We hope that the site will now form a best practice management flagship and we will assess whether the principles can be applied to the other cemeteries with the North Herts District Council."

the project recently won a GreenApple Award for environmental best practice and is currently shortlisted for an ACE/RIBA Award for Religious Architecture and for the Brick Awards 'Best Public Building'.

Contact:

José Cadhile: 00 351 - 96 641 88 23

TOP OF THIS PAGE

BACK TO PHOENIX WINNERS