Advanced Thesis Studio – PILGRIMAGE – taught by David Heymann and Hope Hasbrouck

The site of this pilgrimage, Arlington National Cemetery, is a military cemetery located in Arlington, VA across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. Spanning 624 acres, the cemetery holds over 400,000 tombstones marking deceased service members and their next of kin, as well as a number of historical monuments and memorials including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Arlington House. Despite plans to expand the cemetery burial grounds, it is projected to run out of space in the next 50 years, threatening the continuity of the military burial ritual at Arlington National Cemetery.

Our thesis for this project is: In a nation whose capital city is rich with historical memorials and ritual (the monuments along the National Mall; the burials at Arlington National Cemetery), and that faces uncertainty in its future (in terms of its values as a country), how do we continue to honor the people who have made sacrifices for our country?

The project goals that respond to this thesis are:

1. Expand the cemetery (in a way that preserves the burial ritual – that includes a caisson, horsemen, ball bearers, and folding of flag – at Arlington);

2. Honor the military families;

3. Provide collective space for Gold Star families or those who have lost a family member in the Armed Forces on active duty.

The design interventions that achieve these goals are the following:

1. A monumental processional axis, containing a temporary mausoleum and chapel, located on axis with the National Mall. This leads to a dock on the Potomac River that serves a barge moving the deceased from the mausoleum to other cemetery locations along the river (after the burial ceremony has taken place at Arlington);

2. A tower that serves as a repository for family burial flags (flags given to next-of-kin at the funeral);

3. A field where the flags are flown.

 

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In Collaboration with Lauren Schunk