Emelie Fraser

YEAR 5 - AWARD WINNER

GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART

“This thesis challenges conventional architectural responses to death through the lens of Porto, Portugal. Despite Porto experiencing a shift in societal attitudes towards death - with over 57% of urban residents now choosing cremation over traditional burial, and the recent legalisation of euthanasia - its architecture of death remains unchanged. Cemeteries are walled off at the city’s edge, distancing death from daily life. This thesis argues for a renewed architectural approach - one that brings death into the urban realm, creating spaces for reflection, farewell, and remembrance. In doing so, architecture can foster a healthier relationship with death and its inevitable presence.”