cemetery design Archives - LEES+Associates

Elk Falls Cemetery

The development of the expansion of Elk Falls Cemetery has reached an exciting point!
The LEES+Associates cemetery design team was recently in Campbell River, BC to review the clearing and top soil grading at the Cemetery.

The concept is for a series of lawned burial pods or ‘rooms’ nestled within the existing forest. The cemetery driveway linking the burial pods has just been installed with hydroseeding of lawns and meadows slated for this week.

Section names, markers, and benches will be installed through the fall. It is hoped burial lots will be made available for sale around fall 2022.

When completed, this will be a stunning tranquil and beautiful gladed landscape for families to lay their loved ones to rest.

For more information on the design, please reach out to the LEES cemetery design team headed by Richard Cook, Principal and Patrick Beech, Landscape Designer.
Local partner Outlook provided civil engineering services for the cemetery driveway.

Veteran’s Cemetery in Esquimalt, BC

It was a big day for one of LEES+Associate’s flagship projects!

The Minister of Veteran’s Affairs, Lawrence MacAulay was at the Veteran’s Cemetery (previously known as God’s Acre) in Esquimalt, BC to celebrate the completion of significant upgrades to this sacred burial ground.

Originally a burial ground for Canadian Navy men and women, God’s Acre has been the burial ground for Canadian Army, Navy and Air Services personnel for decades. The first burial at the cemetery was in 1868.

The expansion includes 1400 new columbaria, a scattering garden and room for burying cremated remains. As well, new paving, curbs and signage have been installed with finishing touches expected by the end of March.

LEES+Associates is honoured to be the landscape architects on the God’s Acre expansion project; we are proud of our work for Canadian veterans over the last two decades.

Official opening of the cemetery will take place on May 28th, during the annual Candlelight Ceremony honouring veterans and serving members.

God’s Acre Veterans Cemetery, a national historic site, is located off Colville Road inside Gorge Vale Golf Course.

Walk Through Kelowna Legacy Gardens, [Video]

Last month LEES+Associates attended the annual British Columbia Funeral Association (BCFA) Conference and Exhibitor’s Showcase in Kelowna, BC.

While in Kelowna, our staff took the opportunity to visit the Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery to check out the more than 150 year old cemetery’s newest section for cremated remains and above ground crypts.

In 2014, LEES+Associates completed a master plan for the cemetery and was retained by the City to assist with the burial expansion strategy outlined in the master plan. Work began in 2016 with the preparation of construction documents for the new area dubbed the Legacy Gardens.

In the video above, Richard Cook walks through a section of the garden; the Legacy Garden area offers columbaria niches and mausolea crypts in a picturesque landscape setting. Visit the project profile page for more on the project.

Spring at Royal Oak Burial Park

Photos of Section T, the latest expansion area at Royal Oak Burial Park in Victoria, BC

LEES+Associates at the ASLA Conference

Erik Lees was in Philadelphia last month to attend the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) annual conference and to receive an Honor Award in the Professional Awards category for LEES+Associates’ design of the Iqaluit Municipal Cemetery.

[Photo credit: EPNAC]

Located on an 8 ½ acre site on Baffin Island’s Frobisher Bay, the Iqaluit Cemetery project was recognized for its strong geometries, simple forms, creative use of natural materials.
The design honours indigenous traditions, juxtaposing artifacts and features significant in Inuit culture with contemporary, custom-cut weathering steel panels.

Recognized for its restrained approach, the project received the award for a design that, in the words of a juror, “let the place be what it is.”

[Photo credit: EPNAC]

Iqaluit Cemetery Project wins ASLA Award

The power of the place is extraordinary, and the decision to keep it simple and subdued is brilliant. The place honors the community’s ancestors. There are certain times when you’re working with a landscape that’s so beautiful, the best thing to do is as little as possible — 2018 Awards Jury

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recently announced winners for its 2018 Professional Awards and our Iqaluit Cemetery project won an Honor Award in the General Design category.

Honouring the best in landscape architecture from around the world, the ASLA received 374 entries this year of which 25 received awards.

LEES+Associates will be attending the ASLA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia this October where we’ll be delighted to receive this award.

Visit the project awards page or read more about the Iqaluit Cemetery project here.

Pioneer Cemetery Grand Re-Opening

We were thrilled to attend the Pioneer Cemetery grand re-opening ceremony this week hosted by the City of Whitehorse.

The cemetery has been revitalized with the re-leveling and cleaning of more than 200 headstones, recognition of unmarked graves, a new perimeter loop path, and a new main entrance plaza including interpretive panels, ornamental fencing and entry arch, designed by LEES+Associates and our partners at Inukshuk Planning.

It is gratifying to see community members using the walking paths, and reconnecting with the stories and heritage embedded in the site. The cemetery has been transformed into a welcoming place of remembrance and important community open space for downtown residents and visitors. If you visit the site, be sure to check out the interpretive panels and look out for the graves of many Yukon pioneers, including Martha Louise Black, the second woman to serve as MP in Canada.

Congrats to the City of Whitehorse and everyone involved in the project! Here are some photos from the ceremony.

Last Post Fund Monument at Mountain View Cemetery

In spite of last week’s cold and rain, crews at Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery installed a long-awaited new monument in the Abray South Veterans Section.

Designed as a two piece gateway feature for a future pedestrian precinct, the new monument includes interpretive signage in both official languages. They tell the story of the Last Post Fund, and recognize the role of this organization in ensuring that all Canadian veterans receive a proper and dignified burial.

LEES+Associates worked with Mountain View and the LPF on this project. The monument features Dibond panels installed on custom precast concrete elements, pinned into locally quarried and fabricated granite bases.

Photographs courtesy of Wayne Worden.

Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery

We couldn’t resist sharing these sunny snowy day shots of the Legacy Gardens at Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery.
In 2016, LEES+Associates undertook the preparation of construction documents for this new precinct of the cemetery.

The Legacy Gardens design provides additional cremation niche and mausolea crypt inventory by transforming an existing service road around the Bennett Memorial into a premium cremation garden.

Photo Credit: David Gatzke, Cemetery manager, Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery

Cumberland Cemetery Improvements

Implementation of site improvements are now underway at the Village of Cumberland’s historic cemetery!

In 2013, LEES+Associates in collaboration with Outlook Land Design completed the Village’s Cemeteries Master Plan. Since then, the Village has been gradually undertaking projects to restore and enhance its three cemeteries.
New soil, trees, shrubs and irrigation are now in place, and as of last week, work has begun on realigning and resurfacing the site’s roadways. The longer term plan for the Village Cemetery includes creating community gathering area and establishing a green burial section.

Below are a few photos from the site.