Architecture, Commercial Design, Interior Design, Public Space DesignFlorence LMay 27, 2025Architecture, Chongqing, China, Interior Design

CITY OF INSPIRATION || A New Urban Landmark Brings Cultural Layers and Community Life to Chongqing

Architecture, Commercial Design, Interior Design, Public Space DesignFlorence LMay 27, 2025Architecture, Chongqing, China, Interior Design

Chongqing has always been a city of layers—of mountains and mist, of memories and movement.

But in recent years, this storied landscape has begun to shift. What was once defined by rugged terrain and historical depth is now being reimagined for a generation that craves both connection and culture. At the heart of this transformation stands City of Inspiration, a dynamic urban landmark designed by Fun Connection for PowerChina Real Estate that reframes what it means to live, shop, and gather in the Mountain City.

*An interactive water plaza activates the main public space, bringing community and joy to the fore.*

Situated in the Yuelai District of Chongqing’s Liangjiang New Area, the 45,746-square-metre complex merges commercial architecture with a rich visual homage to the city’s past. Here, layers aren’t just metaphor—they’re material. Arched red brick façades rise in rhythmic succession, referencing classical forms with a contemporary lightness. Interwoven with metallic latticework and lush greenery, the architecture mirrors the topography of Chongqing itself: dense, elevated, and ever-unfolding.

By blending traditional craftsmanship with digital fluency, the project reflects the dual identity of modern Chongqing. A massive digital screen pulses with futuristic visuals above vintage-inspired archways. Copper-toned columns frame long interior corridors, their symmetry grounding the space in a quiet sense of permanence. Around every corner, history and innovation strike a delicate balance.

*Perforated metallic screens offer rhythm, shade, and modern contrast to the brickwork.*

More than a commercial centre, City of Inspiration functions as a cultural promenade. Its layout moves visitors through four distinct zones—immersive retail, leisure and wellness, culinary offerings, and curated artistic installations. Sculptural cats lounging in plazas and lounging on ledges lend a whimsical charm, animating the site with local personality. They form a narrative thread that softens the architecture and deepens emotional resonance.

Community interaction is at the heart of the design. On the ground floor, artful window displays and greenery-lined walkways invite lingering. The second and third levels introduce café lounges, artisan studios, and wellness clinics that serve both residents and passersby. And above it all, intimate terraces with hanging gardens create pockets of repose—urban living reinterpreted as urban breathing.

*The spiral staircase and water curtain entrance set a theatrical tone for the plaza.*

Lighting plays an essential role in shaping the project's rhythm. Rather than functioning merely as utility, illumination here is used as a tool of emotion and pacing. Glowing canopy lights and warm ambient fixtures draw the eye upward, emphasizing the building’s layered geometry while evoking the lantern-lit evenings of Chongqing’s past.

In a city defined by its vertical complexity, City of Inspiration offers a new kind of elevation—one of experience, memory, and belonging. It’s a place where Chongqing’s future faces forward, without turning its back on the past. And in doing so, it reveals the deeper potential of architecture—not just to build structures, but to shape stories.