CEMETERY is a burial place for the intelligence of the dead. It is an architectural interpretation of the progress of three laws: Moore's Law, which anticipates the exponential growth of the number of transistors on a computer chip; Kryder's Law, which anticipates exponential memory storage growth in the near future; and Robert's Law, which anticipates the declining cost of data transmission. The defined rate of progression for each law is not equal, meaning an ability to store the human brain will come before an ability to interact with it. This then is a data center for the dead-- storage by another name-- a burial place where we wait to interact with those deceased.
The cemetery is considered in three parts: the shell, composed of a steel structure holding ceramic tiles (or gravestones); the core, which tapers and programmatically flanks central servers with maintenance space; and the surrounding field, in which ceremonies and contemplation may take place. Each of these parts takes from ideas implemented in the larger masterplan the cemetery is a part of: the shell geometrically links the neighboring traditional cemeteries; the core takes precedent from Mexico City's pervasive idea of layering; and the field serves as a means for collaboration, dotted with spiritual follies composed by other architects. (05/20)