Old Chapel Hill Cemetery Wayfinding System
Working with the Town of Chapel Hill on a grant proposal, I designed this prospective map and wayfinding signage for the Town’s historic 18th-century cemetery, located on the UNC campus. One of the primary goals for the project was to make the student population which passes through the cemetery on a daily basis more aware and engaged with the site's history—much of which is literally unmarked.
The cemetery is shaded by red cedar, southern pine, and sweet gum trees. Native moss grows on markers throughout the cemetery. This native flora served as inspiration for the formal aspects of the design, which I wanted to be quiet, timeless, and specific to the location.
A central map, covered in living local mosses, is surrounded by steel and stone information panels which point out various sites of note within the cemetery. This map is self-orienting for the visitor, so that when she is reading a panel, she will be physically facing in the direction she needs to walk to find the corresponding site.
When the visitor touches a panel, a small marker corresponding to the site on the map will reveal itself as a mist sprinkler, allowing the visitor to complete an “emotional circuit” with the cemetery, not just as a historic site, but a living part of her community.
When the visitor touches a panel, a small marker corresponding to the site on the map will reveal itself as a mist sprinkler, allowing the visitor to complete an “emotional circuit” with the cemetery, not just as a historic site, but a living part of her community.
Sections of the cemetery are delineated with different ornamental borders, drawn from the forms of local trees. For example, the signs for Sections A + B (above) are indicated by a Red Cedar ornament.
