Ingo Niermann + Jens Thiel, Friends of the Great Pyramid e.V.
The Great Pyramid is a genuine concept for a multi-denominational eternal resting place that caters for many thousands or even millions individuals. The idea is that participants who wish to be buried there buy a single stone in which their ashes can be interred. The stones are identical in size and made of concrete but can be custom-decorated with colors, relief inscriptions or images. The planned pyramid would be built in an onion skin-like formation. It will start small and continue to grow as more and more “stones” are added to the exterior. The initiators project that with 100,000,000 stones it will reach a height of 578 meters eventually forming “the largest structure in the history of man.” At the same time, it needs much less space than conventional cemeteries. Architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Ai Weiwei, Atelier Bow-Wow and Nikolaus Hirsch are involved in the development of the concept.
The association „Friends of the Great Pyramid“ was founded by author Ingo Niermann in the beginning of 2007. Among its members are management consultant Jens Thiel from Erfurt/Germany and civil engineer Heiko Holzberger from Weimar / Germany. The German Federal Cultural Foundation supported the association with 89.000 Euros seed capital.
