Date of Award
Spring 5-31-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)
Department
Landscape Architecture
First Advisor
Jacob Mitchell
Second Advisor
Theodore Hoerr
Abstract
Cremation is gaining popularity as a preferred after death care procedure. Therefore the need for spaces to bury or scatter cremated ashes is also rising. “Scattering Gardens”, as specific spaces allocated for cremated ash scattering in cemetery landscapes will play a significant role in responding to this shift. The effect of accumulation of these ashes on soil ecology is a rising concern. My thesis investigates the socio-cultural and environmental effects of cremated ashes in the landscapes in which they are placed. Using the North burial ground cemetery as a test site for my investigations, I explore the potential of design to mitigate the impact of ash spreading, primarily through strategies that slow their release into the receiving soils. My final design proposal creates a novel space of memorialization using slowly decaying columnar structures made of ash. This memorial space offers a visual poetry of decay, death and the ecology of material cycling of bodily remains.
Recommended Citation
Munagamage, Sathya G., "Scattering Garden - Designing for cremated ash scattering in cemetery landscapes" (2025). Masters Theses. 1432.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1432
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