Lim Yu Heng

Death for the City

Speculative Environments

Supervisor - Mr Tomohisa Miyauchi

In near future of the Hong Kong archipelago. Death remains a prevalent issue shrouding the citizens. Be it the sons, daughters or relatives. It has become tremendously expensive to lay the dead to rest in these dense urbanisations around the globe. Columbariums are filling up past the point where the average wait times are around 4-5 years. A temporary solution resulted in thousands of ashes being stored in plastic boxes within coffin stores intermediary. Ash hotels remain a blooming illegal business where residents have rented out their homes to store ashes for people. The government had tried to push for more Columbariums to keep up with the skyrocket demand but these proposals have been met with strong resistance by the citizens citing reasons of traffic blockages, inauspicious siting and large crowds during Qing Ming festivals. Despite the strong resistent culture and a culture of resistance, the new Hong Kong government have decided to take action to tackle the severity of this issue. Planned within the urban development of the old Kai Tak runway, a new park filled with lush greeneries will be opened to the public in order to increase the ratio of public open spaces. Integrated with a resomation centre, the deceased would be cremated in water with chemical and high temperatures in which the ashes would then be attached to eco-sky lanterns to be released towards the sky.

The new resomation centre being highly publicised to the general public through large posters depicting the architecture being shrouded by lush gardens along with the main activities happening within subterranean.