Sidebar / 3rd Quarter 2024

A proof of concept for ‘human composting’

September 4, 2024

What is the most sustainable and respectable way to handle dead matter? Compared to cremation (which requires large amounts of fuel, hence releasing massive amounts of carbon as well as toxic pollutants like mercury¹), land burial—where non-embalmed bodies naturally decompose over the years—is considered to have a lower impact on the environment,² although it requires expanses of land that are increasingly scarce in dense urban settings.

But what if a new typology of funerary architecture can be developed to hasten decomposition in a way that emits less carbon, requires less land and results in readily reusable organic matter at the same time?

Array of the human composting vessels. *Photo by Recompose*

This was the idea behind human composting, also known as natural organic reduction (NOR) or ‘terramation’. This method utilises thermophile microbes in a controlled environment to fully decompose bodies that have been encased in organic substances like wood chips, straw and alfalfa within one to two months, turning the bodies into reusable and nutrient-rich soil.

The world’s first full-service human composting funerary facility commenced its operations in December 2020, pioneered by the Recompose team (https://recompose.life), following many years of research as well as advocacy for the alternative burial method to be legalised in United States’ jurisdictions.³

Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of Recompose, poses with a shrouded mannequin. *Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Recompose*

The company claims to use one-eighth the energy of cremation and saves over 1 metric tonne of carbon dioxide per person, resulting in 1 cubic yard of organic soil that can be either collected for the next-of-kin’s personal use or donated to a local forest or land conservation partners.

Their flagship facility in Seattle, designed by architecture firm Olson Kundig, spans 19,500 square feet.⁴ It has three main areas⁵: An intimate space for families of loved ones to have personal time, private viewings and hands-on care like bathing or shrouding; a Gathering Space for ceremonies that can accommodate up to 25 guests in person or 1,000 virtually; and finally the Greenhouse, where the transformation into soil takes place in hexagonal steel vessels (presently, the Seattle facility has 34 such ‘cradles’). A ‘transitional vessel’ links the ceremony space to the back-of-house vessels.

[This is an excerpt. Subscribe to the digital edition or hardcopy to read the complete article.]

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