Yuan
Spring 2022 / Second year project
The Yuan Home Altar Set is a discursive
design concept that offers a innovative way
to remember loved ones.
Concept Inspiration
Inspired from “Death in the City” by April Ng
(Arcade Journal Summer 2020, p.32-40)
After reading this article, and considering my cultural background, I began to think about the challenges of mourning in the city, where spaces for grief and memorialization are often limited or nonexistent.
Urban Background
4500 ~ 190,000 USD
920 ~ 3950 USD
15,300 USD
12,600 USD
The cost of cemetery plots and related expenses
Hong Kong Private Niche:
Hong Kong Public Niche:
Tokyo Burial Plot:
Osaka Burial Plot:
Hong Kong and Japan
In Japan, the cremation rate has been steadily rising since the 1960s and reached a record high of 99.97% in 2019.
In Hong Kong, the government has been promoting eco-friendly alternatives to traditional burial.
Who
For people living in cities with high population density and aging populations who need to honor their deceased loved ones.
Why
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High prices for cemeteries in cites with high population density.
-
Difficult to maintain cemetery and honor loved ones due to the migration of future generations.
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Commercial land uses have encroached on cemeteries and columbaria that were previously located outside the city limits.
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Modern changes in the way people view life and death.
What if a home altar set could provide a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional cemetery plots in densely populated cities like Hong Kong and Tokyo?
Why called it "Yuan"
渊 （yuān）
swirling water
圆 （yuán）
Circle, Perfection, Harmony
远 （yuǎn）
永远 Forever
愿 （yuàn）
Hope, wish
Idea of Reincarnation
In religion and philosophy, rebirth of the aspect of an individual that persists after bodily death - whether it be consciousness, mind, the soul, or some other entity - in one or more successive existences.
The name inspired from Chinese "Yuan" in four different tones
The intention to focus on emotional values and alleviate a mourner’s sense of loss and loneliness by incorporation the deceased’s ashes into the former’s daily life.
