But the burgeoning towers are groundbreaking when you consider its future tenants: They will be homes not for the living but rather the dead. With real estate at a premium, Israel is at the forefront of a global movement building vertical cemeteries in densely populated countries. From Brazil to Japan, elevated cemeteries, sometimes stretching high into the sky, are providing the final resting place for thousands of people.
They are now the default option for the recently departed in the Holy Land. After some initial hesitations, and rabbinical rulings that made the practice kosher, Israel’s ultra-Orthodox burial societies have embraced the concept as the most effective Jewish practice in an era when most of the cemeteries in major population centers are packed full. ‘The source of all this is that there is simply no room,’’ said Tuvia Sagiv, an architect who specializes in dense burial design. ``It’s unreasonable that we will live one on top of the other in tall apartment buildings and then die in villas. If we have already agreed to live one on top of the other, then we can die one on top of the other.’’
The Yarkon Cemetery on the outskirts of Tel Aviv has been his flagship project. As the primary cemetery for the greater Tel Aviv area, its traditional burial grounds are at near capacity with 110,000 graves stretched across 150 acres. But thanks to an array of 30 planned vertical structures, Sagiv said the cemetery will be able to provide 250,000 more graves without gobbling up any more land, providing the region with 25 years of breathing room. ‘It takes some getting used to,’’ he admitted, as he stood on the roof of the first completed 70-foot-high (22-meter-high) building, ‘but it just makes the most sense.’’
The interior of the gray buildings looks like a construction site. They feature circular ramps, and a terrace-like facade with vegetation. Each floor has openings on the sides for fresh air to get in. Cemetery overcrowding presents a challenge the world over, particularly in cramped cities.
They are now the default option for the recently departed in the Holy Land. After some initial hesitations, and rabbinical rulings that made the practice kosher, Israel’s ultra-Orthodox burial societies have embraced the concept as the most effective Jewish practice in an era when most of the cemeteries in major population centers are packed full. ‘The source of all this is that there is simply no room,’’ said Tuvia Sagiv, an architect who specializes in dense burial design. ``It’s unreasonable that we will live one on top of the other in tall apartment buildings and then die in villas. If we have already agreed to live one on top of the other, then we can die one on top of the other.’’
The Yarkon Cemetery on the outskirts of Tel Aviv has been his flagship project. As the primary cemetery for the greater Tel Aviv area, its traditional burial grounds are at near capacity with 110,000 graves stretched across 150 acres. But thanks to an array of 30 planned vertical structures, Sagiv said the cemetery will be able to provide 250,000 more graves without gobbling up any more land, providing the region with 25 years of breathing room. ‘It takes some getting used to,’’ he admitted, as he stood on the roof of the first completed 70-foot-high (22-meter-high) building, ‘but it just makes the most sense.’’
The interior of the gray buildings looks like a construction site. They feature circular ramps, and a terrace-like facade with vegetation. Each floor has openings on the sides for fresh air to get in. Cemetery overcrowding presents a challenge the world over, particularly in cramped cities.