Transforming a traditional cemetery into a contemporary park

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Cemeteries were once designed for a few, and looked only to the past. Bunurong Memorial Park transforms the conventional to create a contemporary community park for all, for everyday use, for walking and playing, in addition to being a most special place to memorialise the lives of those now passed.

 

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Bunurong Memorial celebrates the unique landscape of Australia, and embraces the diversity of cultural and religious traditions, to fashion a place that gives a contemporary, elegant and unique experience.

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The plantings of the park are still to mature, but the structure of the design is visible and soon in spring the newly planted Australian flower garden will bloom.

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A timelessness pervades the design. A collection of outdoor rooms is shaped for the many journeys people will take through the site and as part of memorial programs, and they provide a rich selection of possibilities for memorialising your loved one.

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Bunurong Memorial Park is unique, Australian, contemporary, distinguished from the more European and traditional cemeteries of Melbourne and across Australia.

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Working closely with BVN Architects, ASPECT Studios delivered the 11 hectare site including 80,000 native trees and shrubs, three architectural designed chapels, administration and function centre, funeral services centre, café, florist, multi-faith rooms, and road works.

Bunurong Memorial Park

Client | Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT)

Project Lead | BVN Architects
Landscape Architect | ASPECT Studios

Project Team:
ASPECT Studios
BVN Architects
Bonacci Group (civil and structural engineering)
Murchie (ESD/Services)
Ratio (Traffic)
Tree Logic (Horticultural specialist)
Sally Tyrell (Horticultural specialist)
Dr Peter May (Soil specialist)

Photography | John Gollings

Year | 2016 (Stage 1)
Area size | 10 Hectares
Budget | approximately $42 million (Stage 1)

About Damian Holmes 5733 Articles
Damian Holmes is the Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture (WLA). He is a registered landscape architect (AILA) working in international design practice in Australia. Damian founded WLA in 2007 to provide a website for landscape architects written by landscape architects. Connect on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianholmes/