Hilary Hoggett

Reorienting the Void: Cultural diversity and melancholy landscapes at Fawkner Memorial Park.

Opened in 1906, Fawkner Memorial Park was originally designed with a formal axial layout, radiating avenues of federation era trees, monumental lawns and memorial gardens. Reflective of Australian immigration patterns, the cemetery has been filled with mostly Anglo-Christian denominations. Looking more closely, more recent waves of immigration such as Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq have been pushed to the leftover edges and voids, spaces where the original formal design breaks down.

Seeking to reorient this periphery, this thesis draws on ideas of melancholy and cultural diversity to introduce an alternative spatial and symbolical experience that reframes the marginal. Departing from the formal plan of the cemetery, this design works with the irregularities of the site such as the creek line and the property boundary to introduce a new layer which recognises the Islamic contemporary presence.

A bold new entrance is inserted on the eastern boundary which offers a transition and space for pause. Subtle manipulation of the ground plane through materiality and planting offers wayfinding and choreography along the creek line. This offers an alternative walking experience which departs from the formal avenues and creates new links to the entrance and these marginal spaces. Through this approach a contemporary layer is added whilst still respecting the original masterplan.