Underground Columbarium with Memory Tree Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing columbarium designs do not integrate a commemoration place for the dignified honor of the deceased, and in some regions, scattering ashes is not permitted, posing a challenge in storing ashes near memory trees.
Innovation Solution
A columbarium arrangement featuring a solid concrete base with central island and underground vertical tubes for urn storage, combined with a memory tree that can be covered by glass walls, allowing for glass or crystal leaves with sealed ashes or names, and remote lighting capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional free-standing columbariums are used, then urn storage capacity is provided, but integration with commemoration place is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the columbarium structure with the commemoration place into a single integrated unit. The columbarium is no longer a separate free-standing structure but is merged with the base of the memory tree, creating a unified system that provides both urn storage and commemoration functions in one location.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: the base structure provides both urn storage (through vertical tubes) and commemoration (through the memory tree with illuminated leaves). This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate structures and enhances adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If ashes are scattered on scattering meadows, then commemoration is simplified, but storage near memory trees is not possible where scattering is prohibited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces vertical tubes as an intermediary solution between the memory tree and the ground. These tubes provide a dedicated storage pathway and containment structure for ashes, allowing ashes to be stored near the memory tree without direct scattering, thus mediating between the prohibition on scattering and the desire for proximity commemoration.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of horizontal scattering on the ground surface, the patent transitions to vertical storage through underground tubes. This dimensional change from 2D surface scattering to 3D vertical containment allows ashes to be stored near the memory tree while complying with regulations that prohibit surface scattering.
3Measurement precision
If identification of individual urns is required, then commemoration precision is improved, but complexity of identification system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses illuminated leaves with different lighting characteristics to identify and commemorate individual deceased persons. Each leaf can be individually lit, and the illumination provides visual identification and commemoration without requiring complex mechanical or electronic identification systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces potential mechanical identification systems (such as physical labels or codes) with an optical illumination system. The built-in light sources in the leaves provide identification through light emission, which is controlled remotely, substituting mechanical complexity with optical control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a unified storage and commemoration space for urns or ashes, enabling identification and dignified commemoration, while accommodating regions where ash scattering is prohibited by incorporating a common ash pit or tubing system.
Implementation Method 1
The leaf has a built-in light source and is powered either centrally or via an independent light source
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A commemoration place including an underground columbarium, consisting of a base (1) on which the memory tree (3) is located. In the base there are inlets to the vertical underground tubes intended for storing urns in several rows one above the other. The inlets are provided with lids, preferably provided with removable labels for identifying urns. In case of using the memory tree in the exterior, the tree can be covered by e.g. glass walls with a roof (greenhouse construction), preferably including a base with entrances to the vertical tubes. Another option of depositing the ash of the deceased is to create a common ash pit under the concrete base. The option of tubing or common pit can be applied alone or in combination.