A proposal for a mycelium-based ‘temporary’ burial: Dan Cemetery Park
September 4, 2024
In Vietnamese culture, earth (interred) burial is the traditionally preferred method of treating the dead. Some regions have an exhumation and ‘reburial’ ceremony after up to three years, where the remains are washed, moved into smaller earthen coffins and reburied.1,2 This is considered to be the ‘final rest’ for the deceased.
However, people are increasingly opting for cremation despite its carbon emissions as it is the more economical alternative due to limited land availability in urban areas. For example, the largest burial grounds in Ho Chi Minh City, called Binh Hung Hoa Cemetery, is currently in the process of being relocated due to the growing demand for land.3
Set against this backdrop, this proposal for FuturArc Prize 2024 seeks instead to accommodate alternative (reusable) burial plots on a portion of land within the current cemetery, with the aim to increase its capacity and presumably lower the burial cost.
To decompose bodies within the timeframe of three years,4 the new form of burial proposes to use coffins made out of mycelium, a completely bio-based material from the fibrous network formed by fungi root, which is customisable into various shapes and densities to suit different construction needs.
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PROJECT DATA
Location
Ho Chi Minh City
Country
Vietnam
Site Area
40,200 square metres
This proposal was a submission of FuturArc Prize 2024 by the team comprising Nguyen Huy Vu, Nguyen Tran Manh Dan and Tien Huu Tri who are fourth-year students at University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City (UAH), along with Huynh Anh Tuan and Le Hoang Khoi who have recently graduated. This is the first time that the team has participated in an architectural competition of this scale, and they hope to continue collaborating on future competitions with themes that are closely linked to the environment and social life.
Read more stories from FuturArc 3Q 2024 Green Awards: Architecture for Life After!
1 https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/vietnams-reburials-send-souls-on-final-journey/article26142236.ece
2 https://offroadvietnam.com/vietnam-info/customs-and-rites/funerals
3 https://www.vietnam.vn/en/hoan-thanh-giai-toa-nghia-trang-binh-hung-hoa-trong-nam-2025/
4 https://www.media.mit.edu/people/hendrikx/overview/
5 https://www.tudelftcampus.nl/bob-hendrikx-innovates-living-mycelium-as-a-raw-material-for-loop-living-cocoon/
6 https://www.tudelft.nl/en/2020/tu-delft/tu-delft-start-up-develops-living-coffin
7 https://www.dezeen.com/2020/09/16/bob-hendrikx-living-cocoon-mycelium-coffin/
8 https://www.farm.vc/learn/the-magic-of-mycelium
9 https://www.cnet.com/science/fungi-found-in-chernobyl-feeds-on-radiation-report-says/
10 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222152307_Fungi_from_Chernobyl_Mycobiota_of_the_inner_regions_of_the_containment_structures_of_the_damaged_nuclear_reactor
11 https://www.orau.gov/rsb/radioactivedecedents/Transcript_Funeral_Directors.html
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