“Crown shyness is a phenomenon observed in some tree species, in which the crowns of fully stocked trees do not touch each other, forming a canopy with channel-like gaps.“
How do the trees know not to touch each other?
Nobody knows though it’s been studied since the 1920′s.
Project designers, Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel have constructed a biodegradable, organic capsule as an alternative to a coffin called, “The Capsula Mundi.” The purpose of the project is a conceptually and physically beautiful one; it is to reunite the deceased body back with nature and life. After the deceased is buried in a fetal position inside the pod, a tree seed or tree will be planted above the capsule. Within time the body’s nutrients will nurture the ground, causing a tree to grow from the remains.
Instead of harming the environment by chopping down trees for wooden coffins and burying them, the project’s aim is to promote green cemeteries adorned with trees, you can chose. Originally conceived in Italy, the project is a working theory at the moment because Italian law forbids this type of burial. The goal is to comfort loved ones with a majestic body of nature they can visit. “A cemetery will no longer be full of tombstones and will become a sacred forest.”
View the process below.
The client will choose the tree.
The deceased person will be buried in a fetal position inside the pod.
Their bodies will transform into nutrients for a tree to grow.
