Wound of City

Set at the water’s edge in Shaping Park, Chongqing, this memorial project is conceived as a spatial scar—a gesture that both mourns and heals. The design responds to the traumatic legacy of six years of aerial bombing during the Second World War, when Chongqing, then the wartime capital, became a relentless target. The nearby cemetery, where many victims are buried, grounds the project in historical memory and sacred terrain.



The building emerges as a geometric incision in the landscape: a triangular cut into the earth that extends over the lake. The entry sequence compels visitors to descend into the space, a symbolic descent into history and reflection. The roof is punctured by circular holes, evoking bullet marks, but as sunlight filters through, these perforations transform into symbols of renewal—light emerging from destruction.



The structure is cast in raw concrete, emphasizing permanence, solemnity, and weight. The central exhibition halls and projection room provide space for remembrance and education, while the folded roof form invites public gathering and contemplation on its upper surface. Walking atop the roof, visitors are offered expansive views of the lake, reinforcing the idea of peace in contrast to the memory of violence beneath.



The architecture draws a fine line between monumentality and quietness. Every line and surface is shaped by the duality of grief and hope. Through light, material, and sectional narrative, the project transforms the physical site into an emotional landscape—one that invites both solitary reflection and shared remembrance.



Wound of City stands not only as a memorial to a particular moment in Chongqing’s past, but also as a universal architectural expression of how built form can carry collective memory, healing, and resilience into the future.