The final-executive design of the first part of the expansion of the cemetery of Sant’Agata sul Santerno in Ravenna is the first phase of development of the preliminary project for the general expansion of the cemetery. The first phase of implementation includes new rooms, the rehabilitation of the mortuary along with work to improve the accessibility of walkways in the new cemetery and common areas.

The design choices are geared toward inclusion in a context with landscape protection by favoring greenery, accessibility, and permeability. The intervention follows a simple, orthogonal design that recovers the main directionality in order to restore order even in the existing part that has developed chaotically over the years. The project promotes permeability of soils so the walkways planned in the expansion, as well as the parts being resurfaced in the existing cemetery, will use drainage materials for paving and suitable stratigraphy to promote permeability. The prevailing arrangement of burial niches and ossuaries along the inner perimeter of the existing wall bordering the extension area is intended to encourage internal green areas, whether for services or future burial grounds. The project also intends to comply with the latest regulations by identifying an ash scattering garden and staging areas, paths and forms for processions and ritual with a multi-faith focus.

Finally, also the landscaping, a significant element given the context and inclusion in a landscape constrained area,also played a key role in defining the new cemetery: the various species selected serve a variety of functions, from shading, to visual well-being, to defining new spaces for both fruitive and contemplative purposes.