Name & Location: MAHAPRASTHANAM, Near Whisper Valley, Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana

Cost of Project: (INR) 3,00,00,000

Built-up area: 1,346 sq.metres
(In case of Public Building minimum built-up area should be 1000 sq. meter)

Description of Project :

INITIATION:

The client PHOENIX FOUNDATION with the help of GHMC undertook the task of accomplishing this state of the art crematorium from a neglected cematory. As an already existing 3.7 acre crematory/cemetery, the initiative was to modernize it so that it can accommodate the cultural and contextual modern needs of Hindu cremation rituals. A search for clarity, time constraints and impeccable order- being the modern outlook lead to picking up untouched land pockets amongst the graves, thereby being responsive and orgnaic to the site.

MANIFESTATION:

Every step is a reminder not of lost but of love, as spirit of the loved lives on in many forms hence forth. Spaces took their shape form the functional demands; processional paths, leading to waiting halls, leading to the funeral pyres.The site was restructured into four layers each catering to several different functions to be borne by it:Layer 1 is of connectivity and circulation consisting of ample parking space; Layer 2 is the burial area for existing graves and future requirements; Layer 3 consists of both Primary and ancillary spaces of the crematorium. The former consisting of cold room, ceremonial yard, 3 natural pyres and 1 electrical pyre. The later has the canteen, lockers and a book store; Layer 4 is the lush greenness spread across all over the site to give the well removed privacy for the pyres, and a rolling landscape taking over the terrain. 25% of the total site is landscaped area!

Materials of Construction Details :

SITE & STRUCTURES:

Since the site was an existing crematory, it was of utmost importance to construct the spaces as quickly as technology can permit so as not to hinder the processions.

(1) The customized scripture casting into the walls was a meticulous and precise effort.

(2) The walls were of precast construction technology and were assembled onsite within a span of a month, along with the inlaid scriptures. The precast technology was chosen for its efficiency of time and longevity.

(3) The processional path is laid out in terra-cotta tiles contrasting the surroundinggreenery and graves and shall highlight the procession, flowers and people walking along.

(4) Left over chunks from granite slab cutters were effectively reused for Granite benches and as visual barriers laid along this path. All in all, the cost effectiveness, low maintenance, and promised longevity of these structures have given a new perspective to the dilapidated, thrown back condition of our crematoriums.

PYRES: The outer surfaces have a splashed over finish to add depth and texture, which eventually adds the wrinkle of the wise to these lone standing structures. The electrical pyre can on an average burn up to 4 bodies in a day taking an approximate of 2 hours for each. And natural wood pyres can take up to 1 body per day amounting to 3 bodies from 3 pyres.

Special Features:

Architectural design here is a theoretical response to the ancient scriptures of Bhagavad-Gita. The customized script casting into the walls was a meticulous and precise effort. In spite of it, the walls were of precast construction technology and were assembled onsite within a span of 30 days. Latest audio/visual equipment and wireless fidelity distribution along the site enables the inclusion of loved ones who could not attend the ceremony in time. Spirituality here is the founding stone for simplicity leading to a serene final resting place.

Cavumaedium of precast structures highlight the ritual and funeral procession as a linear and clear proceeding. The stately presence of volume higher than life seemingly provide a comfort to the be-reaved as more quite and acceptance comes with each step. To lessen the bereavement, the structures are shaped in such a way that The entrance pavilion is embracing to console the loved ones, The waiting halls silently bow in the honour of departed soul

And the pyres open up to liberate the lost bidding them a farewell.

Every step, every stone and every turn empathises with the loss and the lost as much as it was for the living and the life shared. A notion of continuity respected in the Hindu Culture is emulated in the linear distribution of spaces for smooth flow before, during and after the cremation ceremony. And as an addendum these structures are going to age naturally due to the material, forms, finishes and function prescribed which eventually add to their grace and endurance.