TOKYO VERTICAL CEMETERY
The residents of the world’s largest city have started to wake up to new neighbors. Neighbors who are silent, but whose presence is opposed by many nonetheless. 

[ BACKGROUND ]

Private developers in Tokyo have used temples as covers to build cemetery plots which they can sell for ten times the price of land without taxes. This practice results in the unwanted placement of cemeteries adjacent to homes in the already densely populated neighborhoods of Tokyo. Amplifying this issue are the ever-changing demographics of Tokyo. Recent studies show that the city’s average age is rapidly increasing, with nearly twenty-five percent of the population being 65 or older and a large majority over the age of 30. Similarly, more and more rural residents are coming into Tokyo, increasing the overall population. As the age and population increase, Tokyo is being forced to face the issue of burial space.

CHALLENGE

​In the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, arch out loud challenges designers to develop proposals for a vertical cemetery that explores the relationship between life and death within the city. The need to examine this condition affords designers the opportunity to not just efficiently respond to the issue of space but also look into the cultural identity that this solemn program can project within its environment. 

LOCATION

​With its own mayor, and status equivalent to that of a city, the Shinjuku Ward just west of central Tokyo houses an eccentric mix of administrative, entertainment, transportation and commercial programs. As a result of its programmatic blend, Shinjuku’s built environment stitches together an array of urban fabrics. With its diversity of programs and energetic scenery, Shinjuku perfectly sets the stage for an exploration of architecture for the dead in the realm of the living.

-VIEW MAP-

[ AWARDS ]

1ST PLACE AWARD

​$5,000

+ ARCHITECTURE + DEATH PUBLICATION
​
RUNNER UP

$1,000

​+ ARCHITECTURE + DEATH PUBLICATION
​
RUNNER UP

$1,000

​+ ARCHITECTURE + DEATH PUBLICATION
​
RUNNER UP

$1,000

​+ ARCHITECTURE + DEATH PUBLICATION

 DIRECTOR'S CHOICE AWARD
​(HIGHEST RECOGNIZED PROPOSAL BY ARCH OUT LOUD DIRECTORS)

CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT 
+ ARCHITECTURE + DEATH PUBLICATION

​10 HONORABLE MENTIONS
​
CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT 
+ ARCHITECTURE + DEATH PUBLICATION

​50  FINALIST PROPOSALS
​
CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT 
VIEW PRESS FROM LATEST COMPETITION

[ JURY ]

[ SCHEDULE ]

JUN 20TH, 2016      Advance registration opens
JUL 17TH, 2016       Advanced registration closes
JUL 18TH, 2016       Early registration opens
AUG 15TH, 2016       Early registration closes
AUG 16TH, 2016      Regular registration opens
SEP 23RD, 2016      Registration deadline
SEP 24TH, 2016        Submission deadline
OCT 6TH, 2016        Final 50 announced
OCT 20TH, 2016      Winners announced

[ MATERIALS ]

AVAILABLE MATERIALS

​Competition Brief
3D Model - Site Context
2D CAD File - Site Context
REGISTERED TEAM MATERIALS
​
Site Photos Portfolio
3D Model - Expanded Site Context
​2D CAD File - Expanded Site Context

​*arch out loud provides free material that can be viewed before registration. After completing the registration process each team will receive an expanded set of materials in the official registration package.
​
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All participants in any arch out loud competition must participate in accordance to the arch out loud terms and conditions.