Jonny Ryley
About
Jonny grew up on the coast in the South West of England, in Torquay, Devon. He received a First Class degree from the University of Nottingham (BArch), after being nominated for ‘Portfolio of the Year’ in his first year, and jointly developing the winning design for the Saint-Gobain led ‘Multi-Comfort building standard’ competition in his second year. From there, he went on to work at CookFox Architects in New York City - the city he will be returning to upon graduation (when the Covid-19 pandemic allows) having met his fiancée Genny there. The latest step in his journey was arriving in London to complete the two year MA Architecture programme, where he spent a year with ADS3, and his final year with ADS5.
Statement
I spent the majority of the Covid-19 lockdown back at my parents home in Torquay, having ‘escaped’ London just in time. And now reflecting on my different projects in my architectural education so far, I think I have been inspired consistently by three things throughout. Firstly, the coast and the slower pace of life that comes with it, as well as the calming, healthy or peaceful connotations associated with it. Secondly, my relentless optimism, that leads me to want to design spaces of positivity, that encourage, that lift people up in their daily lives journeying through this world. And finally, perhaps most importantly, my own faith in God, that I have relied on through the highs and the lows. These things have all infiltrated into my work, and have led me in one way or another to want to design spaces that have an effect on the human, individual scale.
I have explored themes of wellbeing, of reflection, and of togetherness, all of which have reached their climax this year, in designing my final project, ‘The Refectory: An Urban Monastery’. This final year in ASD5 at the RCA has combined my favourite methods of working - which is a great way to finish my architectural education - hand drawing, large scale model making, and photography (and a newly found favourite - real-time rendered film). I had started developing the project with the idea being to create a space that eliminates hurry in a city that (quite literally) never sleeps, New York City … but then the global pandemic happened - and the city finally slept. Initially, I thought perhaps the current health crisis somehow undermined the themes of my project. However, in being forced into isolation myself during lockdown, along with the rest of the world, I realised that in fact the themes I was exploring were even more crucial at this time. Within ‘The Urban Monastery’, I have focussed on themes of reflection, of contemplation, and of peace, asking how someone can have an encounter of something bigger than themselves upon experiencing a space. This question is something I would like to carry forward in my future career and put into practice, wherever that takes me and whatever form it is in.
The Refectory: An Urban Monastery / Project Description
What creates a space of stillness? What creates a sense of contemplation?
‘The Refectory: An Urban Monastery’, is an exploration into answering these questions, and applying the findings to the generic typology that is the high rise. Monastic traditions and conditions have provided guidance for the design of The Urban Monastery, in both the programme and the physical design of the building, but in places I have intentionally flipped these traditions within the design - most noticeably being the vertical design of a typically lateral typology - with the goal of pushing the boundaries of what both the monastery and the high rise as a typology are capable of spatially. Whilst important even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the themes of reflection, contemplation and rest are more important now than ever, and I have been exploring how different elements of the design can alter one’s perception of a space, transforming it from just a room with a function, into something bigger - physically, mentally and spiritually. The idea of ‘rest’ is not designed into our cities or buildings with the importance that it should hold, and the Urban Monastery aims to tackle that with a first small step. It does so through the programme - as an Urban Monastery, an adapted version of the traditional monastery that blends the monastery we all know with a form of retreat, and aims to fit into shorter periods of time within our urban life - and through the structure, that explores the globally untapped potential of the timber high rise in a city of concrete, brick and glass. The hope is that from this project, I can continue exploring what it is that creates a space of stillness, and discover how these atmospheres can be implemented within all the different details of spatial design.
The Refectory: An Urban Monastery / A Journey
In exploring themes of contemplation and meditation, I wanted to create an immersive experience of the spaces I had designed, allowing you to follow on a journey through them, the videos themselves acting as a meditative experience.
The Refectory: An Urban Monastery / The Corridor
The corridor is fundamental to the monastery as a typology - it's ability to link spaces together obviously extremely important for functionality, but it's importance lies in it's ability to loop endlessly around the cloister at the centre of a traditional monastery, providing a timeless experience that enhances themes of solitude and reflection for an individual.
The Refectory: An Urban Monastery / Fragility vs
Whether through the material pallet, or through the visible form of a piece of furniture and how it sits in the space, there is a contrast in the fragility of the tangible human scale details compared to the solidity of the chunky timber grid within The Urban Monastery. Copper and gold colouring are used for the window frames and the handrails throughout the building, as well as white cast marble and concrete as suspended countertops and stair toppers, in contrast to the monotone timber colouring. The hope is that this material contrast adds to the tension already created between different scales, by the fragile benches, the suspended countertops in the refectory, and the simultaneously lightweight yet solid steps that are scattered around the monastery that cater to the level changes between spaces.
The Refectory: An Urban Monastery / 1:20 Model
The 1:20 model drove the design of The Urban Monastery. This is where I developed the ubiquitous and stubborn CLT grid, inspired by the 2x2" pine sections used to build the 1:20 model. The pieces are jointed with domino dowels, and construction ply is used to create a contrast in material to the pine structure, whilst still maintaining the wooden materiality.
Camping
The integration of 'camping' within my scheme is two fold. Firstly, the contrast between the temporary, lightweight equipment used when camping and the solid mass of the earth, the trees, and the rocks that surround you, which I have aimed to mimic in the relationship between furnishing details and solid structure. Secondly, I have kept in mind the visual ambiguity of the spaces I've designed, trying to portray my project as The Urban Monastery through my words and my imagery, but still allowing the space to be open for interpretation in terms of its function. This relates to the open programme of 'the wilderness', which is able to be the backdrop for many different functions.