Shoah Memorial is a public monument located in Bologna (Italy), in an area primed to become the new connective pole of the city.

The project is the result of a competition organised by the Jewish Community of Bologna. Peter Eisenmann presided over the jury that selected the proposal by SET Architects, a young practice based in Rome.

It is a recognisable landmark of great emotional power. The monument attracts passers-by, inviting them to reflect on the tragedy of the Holocaust.

The Memorial is made up of two symmetrical cor-ten steel parallelepiped blocks of 10x10m each, sit adjacent to one another, perpendicular to the existing walls of the square.

The massive public installation was built in less than 2 months.

Their position converges to create a path, generating an immediate feeling of projects oppression.

The path begins with a width of 1.60m, drastically narrowing to just 80cm.

At the interior, the volumes present a grid of horizontal and vertical metal sheets which intersect at 90°, giving shape to a series of rectangular empty boxes of 1.80 x 1.25m.

These boxes represent the cells of the dormitories in the concentration camps

As the years pass its corrosion will display the vestiges of time, demonstrating that all things have a rich history behind them.

SET Architects’ choice of cor-ten steel is deliberate: it is a material that will naturally rust when exposed to open air.

The paving of the path between the two blocks is realized in ballast, basalt stone chippings typical of the roadbeds. This represents the Judenrampe.

Judenrampe (ramp of the Jews) refers to the railroad siding near Birkenau where the Jews disembarked from trains.

The empty echoes of footsteps across the stones coupled with the restriction of the passage instills a keen sense of anguish. Furthermore, changing light plays an essential role in the culmination of the monument.

During daytime the passage becomes immersed in a contemplative light. At night, artificial light illuminates the volumes, boosting the majesty of the Memorial.