International Consulting Work

The Necropolis (City of the Dead) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1188 crypt chapel building
 

Why would cemeterians who operate 11 automated crematoriums and deal with 80 percent cremations travel to another country to find a consultant to help them design and build a mausoleum?

To the folks at The Necropolis in Melbourne, Victoria,  Australia, it was a decision born out of testing the waters of choice.  When a 400 crypt mausoleum was built in their town and sold in one month and a second sold in two months, they realized that the public wanted choice. 

Springvale Cemetery is proud of its new 1188 crypt mausoleum called 'The Chapel of Eternal Rest' which will be the largest of its kind in Australia and will be the first to feature a full chapel as part of its design.  Malcolm Tucker, General Manager of The Necropolis said "At last we are able to offer above-ground interment to the people who demand this level of service, care and security.  The design of the mausolea will ensure it will be protected from the weather, allowing family and friends to visit their loved ones' crypt in comfort all year around."

The Necropolis is the largest cemetery in the Melbourne area and one of the largest in Australia.  The Necropolis also works on a first class scale and wanted to develop one of the finest public mausoleum facilities in the world. 

They realized that to commit to a capital investment of this magnitude, they would need to find a reliable consultant so they traveled to the U. S. to find the expertise in creative design and quality construction to make their vision a reality. After an exhaustive selection process, Ingram Construction Company, Inc. of  Madison, Mississippi was selected to consult in design and construction management.  Ingram implemented several procedures to help speed the communications and smooth the handicaps of  working with a client which is half a world away.  One of these techniques was to maximize the use of facsimile and the Internet to give us nearly instant ways to communicate sketches, drawings and words.  Ingram designers also had to innovate ways to work in the metric system which included not only dimensions, but engineering as well.  These procedures helped quicken the communications which were limited to just an hour a day of overlapping work time. 

Materials chosen for the mausoleum had to be resistant to ultra violet rays which are harsh on the Australian continent.  For economy, designers had to become familiar with local materials and methods of construction. 

Working closely with The Necropolis, Ingram designers created a mausoleum with four distinct and separate crypt areas, each with its own character giving the buyer a choice.

The entrance, covered by a sky lighted drive canopy, leads through a small foyer flanked by office and clergy rooms.  The vaulted gold ceiling creates a warm reflection of light over the foyer and leads one into the vestibule.  Color schemes are bright and cheerful throughout. To either side of the Vestibule are atriums which are gated on one side and covered with venting skylight systems overhead.

The Chapel is seen from the vestibule throughout a large glass window.  Pews face a feature art glass window which is set in a faux marble wall.  Doors on either side of the Chapel lead out to exterior covered crypts. Each area is isolated from the others creating choices for the consumer.  The fact is that while cremation will continue to rise in popularity, the consumer will always want a variety of ways to memorialize in perpetuity.