Project Highlight | Snow Gum A – WSUD-Integrated Burial Landscape
Embedding Water-Sensitive Design in the Next Generation of Memorial Landscapes
The Snow Gum A Burial Section at Northern Memorial Park (Glenroy) represents a landscape-led approach to cemetery infrastructure, where interment spaces are deeply integrated with Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) strategies and native ecological systems. This site forms part of GMCT’s broader vision to align burial product delivery with environmental performance and sustainable public realm outcomes.
Designed in tandem with recent infrastructure upgrades, the Snow Gum A section combines passive stormwater management, soft earthworks, and native revegetation to create a low-maintenance, climate-adaptive memorial zone. It supports both operational function and long-term biodiversity values, redefining the experience of cemetery design in urban Melbourne.
Key WSUD Features & Services:
- Engineered surface swales integrated into burial landscape for passive drainage.
- Minimal-impact landform shaping using basalt rock channels and erosion control blankets
- Establishment of native planting zones to stabilise soil and encourage habitat growth.
- Integration with shared path network and visitor amenities (e.g., drinking fountains, seating).
- Passive stormwater capture and filtration through gravel beds and vegetated swales.
- Visual and ecological continuity with adjacent TPZs and River Red Gum clusters.
- Design detailing to support water infiltration without mechanical systems.
- Supports operational efficiency and enhanced public experience
Services Delivered:
- WSUD 3D simulation using Rhino Grasshopper.
- Evidence-based cemetery master planning and planting strategy.
- Self-sustaining, passive irrigation through natural swale design.
- Minimal-impact earth shaping with native revegetation.
- Integration of TPZs and habitat connectivity.
- Placemaking through pedestrian access and communal deck design.
Project Overview:
This project transforms the conventional cemetery edge into an ecologically coherent system that functions as both burial landscape and stormwater corridor. Using nature-based solutions such as boulder-lined swales, erosion control textiles, and custom soil treatments, Snow Gum A delivers resilient drainage outcomes while contributing to a peaceful and shaded public environment.
Vegetation has been selected to optimise early-stage establishment and long-term sustainability, while also improving site cooling and enhancing habitat connectivity. Located near the northern boundary of Northern Memorial Park, the Snow Gum A burial section provides a model for integrating civic interment needs with water-sensitive landscape architecture.
Owner:Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (GMCT)
Design: Hamed Tavakoli (Meso Space)
Site: Northern Memorial Park – Glenroy, VictoriaTimeline: 2023–2024 (Establishment and Construction Phase)
