Chanjoong Kim, founder of the System Lab designed a vertical cemetery tower called “Columbarium - The Last House†that's 110 meters high and like a vascular system in the human body. It was created for the Biennale di Venezia 2006.
Implications - The vertical cemetery tower is remarkable because it will be made entirely from pre-fabricated steel components. Each modular component will serve as an ash container that will make use of finished titanium and solar panels. As a result, the giant tower will generate enough solar power to help provide a viable source of green energy to the city of Seoul while also potentially serving as a social gathering place for a wide variety of people.
Columbarium
Vertical Cemetery Tower
Trend Themes
1. Vertical Cemeteries - The trend towards innovative funeral and burial solutions that take up less physical space is disrupting traditional cemetery practices.
2. Modular Construction - The trend of utilizing pre-fabricated components for large-scale construction projects like vertical cemeteries has the potential to revolutionize the building industry.
3. Sustainable Urbanization - The trend towards creating sustainable urban environments that make use of alternative energy sources is driving innovation in areas like green energy generation from vertical structures.
Industry Implications
1. Funeral Services - The funeral industry is ripe for disruptive innovation as alternative burial solutions like vertical cemeteries become more popular and mainstream.
2. Construction - As modular construction techniques become more sophisticated, they have the potential to transform the entire construction industry and make large-scale projects more cost-effective and efficient.
3. Renewable Energy - The growing demand for alternative energy sources is creating new opportunities for innovation in areas like green energy generation from vertical structures.