Urban burial method

Newcropolis

A design project by Oded Kishik

00:09The problem

The problem no one talks about.

00:12Not death

Not death.

00:14Traditional burial

Traditional burial.

Field burial is the most common method in Israel and around the world. Every grave takes up living space and rules out any future construction on that land.

00:17Worldwide

From New York to Paris to Beijing.

Living spaces keep getting smaller and real estate prices keep rising every year. If nothing changes, the room people have to live in will shrink significantly.

00:25Israel

In Israel, 46,000 people die every year.

By 2050, the projected number of annual deaths will rise to 75,000.

Deaths per year, today
Projected deaths per year, 2050

00:35Land

Every year, that much burial takes up land equal to about

football stadiums

or

three-bedroom apartments

000 / 781 units · 71 × 11

Aside from space, traditional burial also consumes a great deal of material.

  • Cement
  • Wood
  • Fuel

00:47Research

So I went back in time to look for a solution.

Ancient Egypt

The necropolis

The pyramids of Egypt were cities built for the dead.

The days of Abraham

The field, then the family

The dead were laid in the field. A year later, their remains were moved to a family grave close to home.

Today

Cremation

Fast and compact, but it burns a great deal of fuel.

Today

Towers of gravestones

Burial stacked vertically, floor after floor.

Today · Month 1

Human recomposting

A cow’s body was shown to break down completely within nine months. The same can be applied to human bodies.

The verdict

Positive methods, with a cost.

They waste a great deal of material, and they often prevent the family of the deceased from conducting traditional burial rites.

01:32The idea

  1. Inspired by all this, I took the pyramid structure,
  2. chopped off its top,
  3. and turned it upside down.
  4. There you have it.
Urban burial method

Newcropolis

01:43The site

At the center of town, close to home.

Each site is built at the center of town, near residential neighborhoods. It is a space for meditationcontemplationrecreationsocializingmeditation

Section drawing of a Newcropolis site: an inverted, stepped pyramid with a central core, sitting on a lower chamber below ground.
Section · not to scale · hover a point to read about ittap a point to read about it
  1. A

    Roof plaza

    Open-air space for gathering and conducting burial rites.

  2. B

    Terraces

    Levels that hold grieving in groups of different sizes, and single visitors too.

  3. C

    Information stations

    Computer stations with information about the deceased buried there.

  4. D

    Lower chamber

    Soil containers that feed the site’s vegetation, and the remembrance wall.

  5. E

    Outer space

    Areas around the site for contemplation and burial rites.

Plan · burial rings around a central tree

One compound, several levels.

The structure divides into levels: a burial area, plus personal, family and public zones for commemoration and gathering.

Personal
A quiet corner for one visitor.
Family
Room for relatives to gather.
Public
Space for ceremonies and the neighborhood.

02:21How it works

One plot. One year. Then it begins again.

  1. Day 1

    Burial

    The deceased is buried. The family places a note with their name and dates on the tombstone.

  2. Months 1–12

    A year in the soil

    Rainfall and bacteria in the soil speed up decomposition.

  3. Month 12

    Soil to garden

    Only soil remains. It moves to a container lower in the structure and feeds the site’s plants.

  4. The following year

    Remembrance

    The family gathers and moves the note to the lower chamber, into a hole in the wall.

  5. Then

    Renewal

    A different person can be buried in the same plot.

Day 1

02:58Everywhere

Every town, several sites.

Every town across the globe will have several sites. They are identical in design and function, and differ only in size, depending on the town or neighborhood they serve.

1,000m² Average site area
Aerial · sites sized to their neighborhoods

  • Conserves resources

    No endless new land, and far less cement, wood and fuel.

  • Minimal footprint

    Soil returns to the site as fertilizer for its own vegetation.

  • Close to the bereaved

    Near home, so families can visit and mourn wherever they are.

Newcropolis is a choice in life.

Urban burial method

Newcropolis

By Oded Kishik

03:22The film

Render of a Newcropolis site: an inverted, stepped pyramid over a city plaza Watch NewcropolisEnglish subtitles · 3:22
Design
Oded Kishik
Stop-motion animation
Shirley Neeman
Video editing
Oded Kishik
Narration
Uriah Meadan

Newcropolis · an urban burial method by Oded Kishik