espacio cero's shizensou tower is a monument for souls in tokyo

strikingly tall and bold, the shizensou tower proposed by espacio cero is a monolithic monument located in the shinjuku district of tokyo city– dedicated to a sacred ritual practiced for many centuries worldwide after a loved one has passed away.

aerial view of the espacio cero shizensou tower — constrasting with its surrounding

espacio cero‘s proposed tower reflects on one particular tradition called shizensou, an ancient japanese practice preceding budhist rituals where the body of a deceased is cremated and their ashes are scattered out in the open — instead of being buried in a grave. whether it is the ocean, mountains, river or up in the sky, this practice is believed to increase the energy balance of the universe by ‘going back to nature’. when a person dies and their ashes are released, it is said that they will find a peaceful journey back to their universal home also known as mother nature — the origin of all life. as a result, shizensou has been traditionally practiced all over the world for centuries because it was considered the most honorable way of treating the remains of the dead.

proposed sacred well that symbolizes acceptance, healing and sacredness

looking beyond that idea, the project also explores the concept of life and death within the city. indeed, every five minutes somebody in tokyo dies (110,500/year) and because of that, private developers have used temples as covers to build cemetery plots — which they can sell for ten times the price of land without taxes. this practice results in the unwanted placement of cemeteries adjacent to homes, in the already densely populated neighborhoods of japan — and tokyo is being forced to face the issue of burial spaces. from that point on, espacio cero has proposed a hollow tower that explores those boundaries between life and death where — after furneral services and grieving have passed — people can spread the ashes of their loved ones into a large well which symbolizes acceptance, healing and sacredness.

the urban flow of the city is also part of the megalith

the shizensou tower is a megalith that contrasts with its surroundings. its imposing and bold appearance results from a construction process in successive layers, animated by natural or artificial light. the final effect reflects on the ephemeral human life and its constant dialogue with the continuity of time — creating a boundary between the frantic rhythm of the city and the timeless interior space.

the hollow tower as a monument for the dead — with a construction process in successive layers

diagrams: the building offers a transition space between life and death

plan: the shizensou tower sits in a quiet place, in the middle of the city

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom